How Far We've Come
by FFicWriterXxveryOriginal
Summary: It's been a while since the Brotherhood of Evil was defeated. All is peaceful...until some H.I.V.E. students break out of the ice and decide to come after their former teammate. Or is revenge really what they're after? Featuring Jinx and the Hive Five. Takes place after Trouble in Tokyo. Follows the TV show only.
1. Prologue

****My first story! Let me know what you think!

* * *

**How Far We've Come**

**Prologue**

It was just another day in the city. Well, maybe another day since the all-out fight between the Brotherhood of Evil. Kid Flash yawned as he walked into the infamous Titan Tower of Jump City. He and the Titans had just stopped a bank robbery downtown that involved three masked thugs with handguns. Sure, it had been eventful at first, what with all the panicked people and the police alarms and the yelling from the thieves, but after getting past all the noise, it was rather boring. Childs play in his opinion. Kid Flash had learned early on that he was ten times faster than any machine gun, much less a handgun, and had stopped fearing them a long time ago. In short, the Titans arrived (with Kid Flash in tow), said their scary catch phrases, attacked, and finished the job in two seconds flat. Well, ok maybe not that quickly, but that's how easy it felt. Once the bad guys had been handed over to the police, Kid Flash and the Titans decided to head back to the tower to chill, thus bringing him back to his current location.

After declining an invitation to play volleyball with the others, the super speedster dashed back to hallway where the guest bedrooms were. Once there, he made his way into one of the rooms and took a moment to stop and stare. Kid Flash was usually not one to stop moving for very long but even he made exceptions. This time, it was to stare at the Pink haired beauty who peered out the window on the opposite side of the room. Her back was to him, but he knew that she already knew he was there. She always did.

"I'm home, Dear!" He proclaimed dramatically. He heard her chuckle.

"Welcome back, Wally. How was the mission?" She asked, turning to face him with a catlike grin to match her catlike eyes.

"Meh, uneventful," he replied before plopping down on her bed. "Just a bank robbery, no biggie. You should have come though; you'd probably enjoy it, Jinx."

"Aw, miss me? You were only gone for about 20 minutes." Jinx joked.

"Twenty minutes! I can't believe I survived that long without you!" He followed up with a slight kiss on the cheek, leaving her with a slight blush. "But seriously, you need to get out more! It's a nice day outside and you've just been cooped up in your room for the past few days now." His playful expression changed to a serious one before asking, "Is everything ok?"

Jinx frowned, and then turned back towards the window. "I've just been thinking that's all."

"Thinking? About what?"

"About the Brotherhood."

That surprised him. Ever since the Brotherhood of Evil had been defeated, almost nobody bothered to bring them up. The Brotherhood had been a threat for so long, yet most of the Titans didn't even want to mention the name now that they'd finally beat them. Flash speculated that they all just wanted to forget the whole ordeal and enjoy the time they'd lost fighting the brain. And he didn't blame them. So the fact that Jinx was thinking about them now left him puzzled and curious.

"I guess it is a little quiet without 'em. What's on your mind?" he asked while getting off her bed.

Her shoulders tensed. "I was just wondering how the others are holding up."

By her reaction, Flash could tell she was referring to the other H.I.V.E. students. No one else in the Brotherhood could shake her up this much, no matter how strong. Cautiously, he placed an arm around her waist. When she didn't resist, Flash pulled her toward him until their sides met and she laid her head on his shoulder. "They were frozen using that ice machine Jinx. I doubt they're causing any trouble."

"I know that, I was there when you froze them. It's just that, well…don't you ever wonder how long it will last until they finally break out? That ice can't hold them forever!" Jinx explained in worried tone that he'd never heard from her before. "I'm just afraid of what they'll do when they escape."

"I wouldn't worry about them attacking! Even if they did come after you, there's no way they'd get past me or any of the Titans! We'd all be here to protect you." Flash replied eagerly, but her concern didn't disappear.

"I'm not scared of them attacking me. I guess I'm worried that they'll hate me. I did betray them after all." She said quietly, so quiet it might have been a whisper.

Flash nodded. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that. You can't change how they feel about you," he answered grudgingly. "It's best to forget about them and move on with life."

Jinx was silent, probably letting his words sink in. Kid Flash stayed quiet as well. Behind her silence he knew what she wanted to say. The H.I.V.E. students had been her family for many years, long before he had shown up and convinced her to join the good guys. It had taken him a while to persuade her to come with him to the big fight with the Brotherhood, and when she finally agreed, she had come reluctantly. Flash had to admit that she had put up one heck of a performance during the fight, pretending to be totally cool with simply blasting them all away. He'd almost been convinced that she really was happy about it. But once they were alone, she'd broken down and let her tears out. He'd stayed by her side that night and comforted her as best as he could. After over a month since the big battle, he'd been sure that she'd gotten over it, but then again, he'd been wrong before.

"Jinx, you need to let this go. They aren't coming back. It's time to move on."

At first he wasn't so sure she'd really heard him. He was about to say more until she finally turned to him and smiled ever so slightly. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I'm just being paranoid," she replied before pulling away and running towards the door. "I just need to get out a little more and spend some time in the sun. You've never seen me in my bathing suit before, have you?" She asked slyly, sending him a coy look over her shoulder.

He grinned back. That's the girl he knew and loved. "I can help you put it on if you want!"

She giggled before leaving the room and making a break for the bathroom. As Kid Flash followed behind her, he couldn't help but let his own mind begin to spin. As much as he wanted to believe his own words about the H.I.V.E. not returning, he still couldn't fight off the feeling that it wasn't the last time any of them would encounter the troublemakers. A frozen hive was not a dead hive.

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So, that's the prologue. Feel free to review/criticize, just don't be nasty! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 1: Breaking Free

**Chapter 1: Breaking Free**

The lights of Paris danced as people walked the endless streets of the glorious city. At 19:00 on a clear Friday evening, the citizens gallivanted about to and fro, enjoying its wonders. Yes, all was alive and well, completely unaware of what activity stirred beneath their feet. Far beneath them, hardly anyone would guess that an inactive Evil base lay resting. The last visitors had left some time ago, confident that the base would forever be silenced. But exactly how long would _forever_ last?

Traveling past the security doors, down the eerie corridors once filled with hustling villains, the only sound was silence, more still than a graveyard. Eventually, all the passages led to one place: a large open room where the once prosperous (well, some of them were) villains stood, forever trapped in their icy grave. Or so they thought. Again, how long is forever?

Though most of the villains remained motionless, a closer look would reveal otherwise. One statue set apart from the others began to twitch with fervor. A crack appeared, and then a few more, until a loud shattering sound pierced the silence, banishing it forever. In the place of the ice sculpture, a young woman in her early teens stood before falling to her knees as exhaustion racked her body. She took a few moments to catch her breath before taking off in search of her "friend," if he could still be called such. Perhaps the word acquaintance would be better said. After all, it had been quite a while since she'd been able to speak to him face to face without fear of interruptions. Nevertheless, if she wanted to escape this cold, frozen prison, she'd need some help. And no one was better at escaping than he was. Piece by piece, she inspected every statue, searching for any sign of her friend- ahem, acquaintance. It was taking longer than she'd hoped to look since she had never anticipated this many villains being defeated all at once. This one? No, never seen him before. How about this one? No, far too old! Her search was beginning to seem fruitless. However, this didn't mean she wasn't entertained. While most of the figures wore faces of agony or fatigue, some looked startled or shocked. Probably didn't anticipate being beaten so sudden. To these, she let out a slight giggle, if only to lighten her mood a little. Yet soon even she began to grow a little weary. She had just broken out herself.

Finally, once she'd reached the top shelf (they just had to put her on the _bottom_ shelf!) she found who she was looking for. There was only one problem: he wasn't alone in the ice. Hmmm…this was going to be more difficult than she thought. Circling the figure, she couldn't think of any way of breaking him out without waking the others. It was all or nothing, as they'd say. She shrugged. The more the merrier.

But how to release them without hurting them? Her own method wouldn't work here. No, she'd need an ally. Looking to her left she noticed another lone statue of another teenage boy. Perhaps life was cutting her some slack after all. He would do nicely.

* * *

"So, you honestly believe that they aren't going to get out of that ice?" Jinx asked later that day, once everyone had begun to slow down. Well, sort of. The titans sat around the dinner table munching on some pizza they'd ordered. Beast Boy was making a fuss about how no one bothered to order vegetarian while Cyborg continued to down half the pizza. Everyone else went back and forth between eating and watching, or eating and talking.

Kid Flash, after snatching a slice or two before it was gone, turned to look at his girlfriend next to him with a slightly annoyed look. "This again? I already told you, they aren't coming back." he said, patting her back.

"How do you know that? We don't know anything about that machine or how long it lasts!" Jinx retaliated.

"I'm pretty sure that if the Brain in a jar was that confident in winning and making us all trophies, then he would have made that machine powerful enough to hold us for a loooong time!"

"But how long is _long?_ It could mean just a few days, or weeks. We have no way of knowing exactly when they will break free. For all we know, they could be coming after us right now at this very moment!" She cried, flailing her arms. By this time, they'd attracted the others attention, including Cyborg's, who was attempting to shove the meat pizza down Beast Boy's throat (playfully).

"Easy there, Babe, now you're getting me uptight," Kid Flash answered gently, doing his best to calm her down without much success.

"Something wrong?" Robin asked curiously before biting into his first slice of pizza, then setting it down.

"Yeah, you sound upset." Cyborg followed up, finishing his tenth slice in one gulp.

"Nah, we're good! It's just her monthly! Hey, did I ever thank you guys for letting us stay here while we look for our own place?" Kid Flash asked while dodging the plate she'd tossed at his head.

Robin smiled. "I told you, it's not a problem. Anything for a fellow titan."

"YES, it is ever so wonderful to share space with a dear friend, especially one who has seen the light of good and come away from the darkness of evil!" Starfire gushed.

"Yeah…what she said." Raven uttered.

"Um, thank you?" Jinx said.

"Relax, Sweetie, everyone here likes you, trusts you, and can't live without you. Well, maybe that last one only applies to me, but you get what I mean." Kid Flash reassured her, placing his arm on her shoulders. "Right, Guys?"

"You bet!"

"Sure."

"Whatever."

"Hee, hee, hee!"

"That's right! Hey Robin, are you gonna finish that?"

With that, everyone was back to chatting amongst themselves, with the exception of Robin now fighting with Cyborg to preserve his sole piece of pizza. Kid Flash laughed along with them hoping his cheerfulness would rub off on his still silent girlfriend. Soon however, even Jinx started to join in, to his relief. With everyone distracted he leaned down close enough for his next few words to be audible to her ears alone. He whispered, "Don't worry those rotten icicles aren't going anywhere."

* * *

See-More attempted to pick himself off the floor, still in a daze. His teeth began chattering involuntarily due to the state he had previously been in, and his body didn't seem to want to cooperate with his brain. Try as he might, he couldn't get to his feet without stumbling and falling all over himself, thus repeating the process all over again. Grabbing his head, he let out a soft groan. He felt like he'd just been hit with a sledgehammer filled with bricks covered with cement and enlarged to ten times its size. Somewhere past the fog, a voice called his name, and he swore he could feel a hand shaking his shoulder. After blinking his eye a few times, a face came into view. A few seconds later he could make out details that proved it to be feminine. Seconds more and he could hear the voice a bit more clearly too. Finally, after gaining most of his senses, he took a breath and got to his feet without falling this time. Hmm, maybe he hadn't been too far off after all. When enlarged, her wings could knock a guy unconscious.

"Sorry See-More, I couldn't think of any other way to free you," she said.

"Angel?" he heard his voice croak in surprise. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Uh, saving your life, thawing you out, giving you a hand, whichever way you want to put it," she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

See-More was dumbfounded. He hadn't spoken to Angel since the first H.I.V.E. academy was destroyed, and now suddenly here she was rescuing him? They hadn't even been that close at school. He scratched his head in confusion. There _had _to be something he was missing.

Her face grew stern. "Listen See-More, I really need your help."

Ah, now that made more sense. She needed help, naturally. He sighed, "OK, what is it girl?"

"I need you to help me release these guys," she said, making her way over to the H.I.V.E. members still frozen in the ice.

"Why do you need my help? Why don't you just free them the way you freed me?" he argued. They needed the beating as much as he did, in his opinion.

"If I try to crack the ice with all of them bunched together, they might hurt one another, especially since Mammoth is on the bottom."

"They'll cushion each other."

She glared at him. "Come on See-More, they're your friends! You should be more willing to help them out than me!"

"Ugh, yeah, about that…" He muttered nervously, unsure of whether to explain or not. After Jinx disappeared, he'd gone off to look for her without telling any of the others. At some point during his search, See-More had been picked up by the Brotherhood of Evil and was forced to join. Once he'd been delivered to the base, he discovered the remaining H.I.V.E. Five members already here. It had not been a friendly reunion. None of them were very pleased with him for ditching the group, and that was putting it lightly. He'd been relieved when the Brain had partnered him with Warp instead of them. Otherwise, he was sure they would have killed him on the spot.

"Well?" Angel asked impatiently, tapping her foot. It snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, long story short, those guys and I, we're not exactly on the best terms right now, and I like my eye right where it is." See-More answered cryptically. He crossed his arms in an effort to show her that he was done arguing, and that he wasn't changing his mind. Unfortunately, Angel wasn't backing down either.

"Come on See-More, don't make me do it!" She warned.

"Do what?" he said with a giant question mark on his eye before wishing he hadn't asked. All of a sudden, he felt all warm and fluffy inside, a feeling that didn't sit with him well. Slowly, the feeling spread outwards from his chest to his head, and down to the tip of his toes. He glanced over at Angel. She had her hands clasped in front of her resting beneath her chin, and her eyes had become shiny as though she were about to cry.

"Please, See-More, I need you. You're the only one I can turn to. Won't you free them?" She whispered, batting her eyelashes pitifully.

Aw man, he cursed to himself. See-More had forgotten the other reason why she was called 'Angel.' Along with her wings, Angel had the strange ability to change the emotional atmosphere around her from tense anger to soothing comfort. It didn't sound very intimidating, but was really quite effective. Once a person was caught in it, he or she became easy to manipulate, even if they didn't realize it. Thankfully, Angel didn't use her "power" often, but when she did, it was almost impossible to ignore. And try while he tried his best to fight it, in the end, he was fighting a lost battle.

"OK fine, I'll do it." He consented grudgingly.

"Thanks See-More, I knew I could count on you!" Angel answered cheerfully.

Without another word, he made his way over to the others, switched his eye to laser, and slowly began to thaw the ice, all the while preparing for the earful was sure to get once they were free. Maybe they'd be too tired to complain. Maybe. Probably not.


	3. Chapter 2: Setting Off

**So, here's chapter 2. This one is a little rushed so it's not my best. If I get enough criticism, I'll probably go back and edit it, so tell me what you think, just don't be nasty!  
**

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**Chapter 2: Setting Off  
**

"Y-you are so _d-d-dead._ Once my t-tech starts working again, I'm g-g-gonna make you wish y-you had never been b-b-born you S-snot-brain!" Gizmo yelled. Despite his threat, it was hard to be afraid with him sitting on the ground shivering like a leaf. Mammoth was in no better position, curled up in a ball with his teeth chattering. See-More would have laughed to see them reduced to such a pitiful state, but held his tongue out of fear that doing so would aggravate them even more.

"I'm c-c-colder than a tractor left in a s-s-snowstorm!" Billy Numerous chattered along with them.

"I h-h-hear ya, Billy!" his clone replied.

The only one not shaking or shivering was Kyd Wykkyd who stood off to the side with his arms crossed. So far, none of them had noticed him. But then again, he liked it that way; hiding in the shadows was his specialty. However, it didn't last for long.

"Kyd Wykkyd, there you are, I've been looking for you! Are you alright?" Angel asked anxiously.

He nodded before turning away from her. Her face dropped. "Listen, Kyd, about what happened earlier, I didn't leave you alone, I swear! After you left for a few minutes, the Brotherhood arrived and captured me. They forced me to join them. I didn't try to look for you because I was afraid they'd follow me and capture you too." She explained. He kept his back to her and looked away, pretending he couldn't hear her. It was childish, yes, but it made him feel better. "Please listen to me!" she begged, but he continued to ignore her. "You're acting really immature, you know Elliot," she muttered, crossing her arms as well. At this, Kyd Wykkyd flinched.

Billy snorted. "Elliot? _That's _your real name? _Elliot_?" Billy burst out laughing, his clone along with him.

Kyd Wykkyd turned and glared daggers back at Angel who remained unfazed. '_I thought I made it clear that was to stay a secret!' _His face read.

"If you're going to act like that, then I refuse to uphold any promise I made prior to this," Angel retorted. "Honestly, I thought you'd act a little more grown up, Elli."

"AH HA HA HAHAAAA, ELLI!" Billy howled with laughter. Gizmo, Mammoth, and See-More seemed to have caught a bout of the giggles as well. On the other hand, Kyd Wykkyd looked like he was about to catch fire. If he hadn't been laughing, See-More swore he would have been a little scared. Never in the years of knowing him had he ever seen his friend get this furious before. Not even when they'd been roommates at H.I.V.E Academy, or when he'd play harmless pranks on his quiet teammate (a firecracker in his underwear drawer was harmless, right?) to try and loosen him up a little. See-More supposed it was something only Angel could do. Angel and Kyd Wykkyd had always been an interesting pair back in school. Kyd's intimidating looks never seemed to bother Angel, and in turn, he was the only one they knew who couldn't be affected by her emotional atmosphere power. He often wondered if maybe they hung around each other because of it.

'_Now you're the one acting immature!' _was the look he was now giving off.

"Well, you started it!"

'_And whose fault is that?'_

"The one who is currently wearing a Batman rip-off uniform. I never told you, but your choice in outfits is very unoriginal. Someone needs to give you fashion tips."

'_What does that have to do with anything?'_

At this point, the others had stopped laughing and continued to watch the two bicker, all secretly taking bets on who would win the one way argument. "They sound like an old married couple," one Billy whispered to the other. The other nodded in agreement.

"This is borin'! Come on Billy; let's see what else is goin' on 'round here!" the first said before taking off in another direction.

"Right behind ya Billy!" the other said, following. Kyd Wykkyd and Angel continued to fight, unaware of their missing teammate(s).

"Hey Mammoth, check it out, my tech is working again!" Gizmo announced gleefully. "I wonder who I should test it on?" he said while turning back to See-More. "This'll teach you to never ditch the H.I.V.E. Five, Gunk-muncher!" he said evilly.

Mammoth cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna tear your eyeball right out of your socket! Let's see how well that eye works once it's black and blue!"

_Uh-oh. _See-More gulped, turned on his heel and took off running so fast, Kid Flash would have been impressed. Gizmo and Mammoth remained right on his tail though, shooting lasers and throwing anything Mammoth could get his hands on.

Meanwhile, the now four Billys had found another way to entertain themselves. One of them had found a camera out of nowhere and proceeded to take pictures of the others posing with the still frozen villains. "Say cheese, Billy!" he said with a finger on the flash button. "Cheese!" they answered in unison, one of them holding up bunny ears over Psimon's head. Angel and Kyd Wykkyd were still arguing, now completely off track of the original topic, and See-More continued to be chased by Gizmo and Mammoth, neither giving any leniency.

Over all, it was going to be a loooong night.

* * *

"So, how about this one Wally? It's an interesting style!" Jinx said eagerly, waving the magazine in front of him. Kid Flash yawned in response. This was the 23th one that they'd looked at in the last hour, or at least from where he started counting. He had to admit, he loved Jinx to death, but there were a few things about girls that he didn't understand. Like how they could get so excited over a picture in a magazine/catalog.

After the battle with the Brotherhood, the hero couple had decided to search for a place to one day call home, and perhaps even start a team of their own. While the Teen Titans allowed them to stay in the T-shaped tower for free, as long as they pulled their weight by helping with missions, Jinx and Kid Flash had searched through an endless number of magazines, newspapers, catalogs, anything that would offer any source of shelter. Kid Flash had been excited at first about the idea of owning his own place, but after the first two days of searching, his excitement quickly went downhill. Every place started to melt together. At this point, he couldn't even tell the difference between a shack and a castle.

"Didn't we already see one like that?" Kid Flash asked in a bored tone. "You know the one with the big thing-a-ma-jig on top?"

"You mean the one with the grey steeple with the garden out front? That one was pretty nice too, a dark Gothic style, and it looked sort of like a castle. It's definitely my type. Do you prefer that one too Wally?" Jinx asked.

Kid Flash blinked, still looking completely bored out of his skull and yawned again. "Whatever you want Babe. At this point, I really don't care."

Jinx rolled her eyes. Typical guy. "Wally, you're supposed to help me choose one, yet you're barely even trying." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you even care about me anymore?" she asked with a pouty look on her face.

Kid Flash sighed. He really wasn't in the mood to play this game. Slowly and reluctantly, he removed himself off his place on the couch, walked up to his girl and put his arms around her, giving her a light squeeze. She didn't return the embrace, but didn't reject it either. Instead, she remained completely still. "Jinx, whatever you want is fine. I'd give you the queen's palace in England if you asked for it, but please just choose one! It doesn't matter to me anymore, as long as you're happy," he replied calmly. "Look, we've looked at hundreds, maybe thousands of places already. Just pick your top ten favorites and then we can decide from there!"

Jinx continued to pout. "But there's too many that I love! I wish we could live in them all!"

He chuckled. "I know, but being a superhero doesn't pay that much I'm afraid. So, we'll have to stick with one. We better hurry and pick one out soon though. I talked to Beast Boy yesterday. He said, and I quote 'Dude! Just how long are you and your girlfriend gonna stay here? I'm always afraid that she'll see me when I leave the bathroom in a towel. Not to mention the fact that she alphabetized my CD's _again,_ organized the fridge, cleaned my room, ironed my laundry, and scrubbed the bathtub! It feels like I'm living with my mother again.'"

"For the record, his room was filthy." Jinx muttered. Ok, maybe she had gone a little overboard. Then again, she'd been the only in the H.I.V.E. Five who wanted to keep the place clean. It wasn't easy being the only girl in a single tower surrounded by a team full of boys. Wait a minute! "That's it!" Jinx announced, turning in Kid Flash's arms. "Wally, I know where we can live! Why on Earth didn't I think of it before? The answer was right in front of me the whole time!"

"Care to fill me in?" Kid Flash asked, raising an eyebrow before pulling away and crossing his arms.

"We can live in the H.I.V.E. Five's old tower!" she said excitedly.

"You mean the one I wrecked in that one episode?"

"Yes! It's perfect! It's already completely built so we don't have to wait too long to move in. I used to live there so I know where everything is located. Plus, it already belongs to me so we won't have to fork out extra cash for purchase."

"It's also a huge mess after I came in and trashed the place." Kid Flash pointed out. "You seriously want to move into that dump? What about the house with the big what-cha-ma-call-it on the top? I thought you really liked that one?"

"That one is a little too old school, and besides we need something more practical if we're going to start our own team. The H.I.V.E. tower should work just fine as long as we put a bit of effort into putting it back together. All it takes is a few hammers and wrenches and we should be able to get started. You destroyed the whole place by yourself; I think you can put it back together too. Maybe Cyborg and the others can give us a hand with the heavy lifting and reinstating the technology. I can finally replace those nasty old curtains with something more stylish!" she gushed.

Kid Flash just stood there staring at her with his mouth hanging wide open as she continued through her long mental list of how to improve the tower. Like he said before, there were some things he would never understand about girls. Like how they could change their minds so easily and so quickly. He sighed again and sat down on the couch. Guess this means that the vacation is over, he thought tiredly.

* * *

Back in the Brotherhood base, the noise had finally begun to quiet down a little bit. See-More lay on the ground, thoroughly beaten with more bruises than he could count. Gizmo and Mammoth lay panting nearby as well, worn out from the chase and overuse of their powers. Kyd Wykkyd and Angel sat on either side of the three, not even daring to look at each other. Billy sat along with the rest of his clones flipping through the pictures he'd taken. Not one of them spoke. Each person just sat and listened to the steady breaths of the others, waiting for someone to say something. In reality, all were too afraid to address the same question that they had on their minds. So they sat in silence. But finally, after a few minutes, it was Gizmo who brought the matter to light.

"So…now what?" he asked.

"Beats me," Mammoth answered.

"I got nothin," Billy declared.

"Me neither," his clones followed up in unison.

"I honestly don't have a clue. I'd hoped one of you guys would have an idea," said Angel, grimly.

Kyd Wykkyd shrugged.

"Well," See-More started while cracking his spine back into place, "I guess we could start by heading back to the States."

"Yeah, but how're we 'sposed to git there? Angel and Gizmo are the only ones who can fly fast!" Billy chimed in. "B'sides, I git air sick."

"Hey Kyd Wykkyd, can't you just teleport us there?" Mammoth asked lamely.

Kyd Wykkyd shook his head. He began pantomiming with his hands, something about his powers not being able to reach all the way over the ocean.

"I suppose sitting in this base isn't getting us anywhere. The least we could do is walk out the front door," Angel stated. She got to her feet and walked towards the entrance before stopping to turn towards the others who stared at her dumbly. "Well, are you coming or do you intend to stay here with the rest of the popsicles?" she asked expectantly.

The boys just looked at each other for a moment before shrugging and following her. She was right about one thing. They weren't making much progress by hanging around the cold, damp headquarters. Though they were far from a perfect team, they were in this together and no one else would be willing to help a bunch of tired, defeated teenagers from a devastated academy. So, with hardly a shred of hope and not knowing what to expect next, the group of six teenagers grabbed whatever few belongings that they had left and stepped outside, ready to take on the world once again.

* * *

**First, for anyone who's a little confused about Kyd Wykkyd's real name, supposedly that's the name that most people give him, so I decided to keep it too. I was a little worried about Jinx in this chapter. After I wrote it, I felt she might have been a little OOC, but then again she's a hero now, and I figure she probably had to either bully the other guys into keeping the tower clean or would clean most of it herself.**

**Also, if you have problems with the couples, then either deal with it or don't read. I'm just going off what's suggested in the show, and I really don't want to deal with any flames!**

**Until the next chapter! Hope it wasn't too hard to read!**


	4. Chapter 3: Taking Flight

**Chapter 3: Taking Flight**

"Can you believe that I'd never seen Paris before we came out here? It's absolutely gorgeous!" Angel gushed. The six bewildered H.I.V.E. students stood in the night in front of the Eiffel tower. The lights that covered the structure shined brightly, blinking like dancing stars. It reminded Angel of the lights of the airplanes that flew during the night that she'd sometimes pass whenever flying. Unfortunately, most of the other guys didn't seem very interested. Gizmo yawned loudly, while Mammoth cleaned his ear with his pinky finger. See-More whistled idly to himself and Kyd Wykkyd appeared to be looking at something else. At least Billy had gone over and started taking pictures. That proved that he was somewhat interested, right? Or maybe he was just bored, she admitted silently. Yeah, that was probably it. Angel huffed. "Will you guys please say something?"

"So, we've left the base and are now outside. What now?" asked See-More with a blank look.

"Our best bet is to try and find an airport and get out of here. The sooner we get home, the better," she suggested.

"Why the hell would we wanna go home? France is great!" Billy cried happily.

OK, maybe he had been interested after all. That was a first. "You really want to stay? We would never make it here!" she argued.

"Daw, what 'da you know?" Billy asked sarcastically in his annoying southern accent. "You girls 'r always pr'tendin to be _so _smart, like you're better than men or somethin',"

"OK smart guy, why don't you ask that man over there for directions to the nearest train station?" she asked challengingly, pointing at a man seated nearby the group.

"Will do!" he answered quickly before running over and approaching said man. "Scuse me Bubba, but which way to git to them locomotive station?"

"Qu'est-ce? Je suis désolé, je parle français, allemand et italien, mais pas l'anglais, " the man said.

"Right! Got it!" Billy answered eagerly before turning around and running back to the others. "He said he didn't know, and to ask someperson else."

"That's not what he said!" She nearly screamed. Angel had prided herself for being patient and slow to anger, but these guys were really beginning to drive her up the wall. She wondered how Jinx could put up with it.

_Breath Angel, just breath, _she instructed herself before taking a deep breath and turning towards the rest of the group. "OK, do any of you guys know French?" she asked calmly once her temper had died down a little bit. Mammoth and Gizmo just looked at each other scratching their heads. See-More shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Kyd Wykkyd, for his part actually raised his hand and nodded. Well, at least he was listening to her again.

She sighed. "Let me rephrase that question. Do any of you guys _speak _French?" His hand came down. "Didn't think so. That settles it. We're heading back to the US. We need to find an airport with a plane that can take us back home or else we're stuck here."

Thankfully, the others didn't argue with her and nodded in consent, except for See-More who waved his hand above his head. "I have a question!"

"Yes See-More?"

"What do we do about them?" he asked pointing his thumb over a group of gathered people behind them. Angel nearly fell over in shock. Almost every person in the group had either a camera or a camera phone and was snapping pictures of the teenage villains. They all spoke in a variety of languages, some of which the teens had never even heard before in their life.

_Ugh, tourists_, Angel thought disdainfully before swatting one away as he started to pull at one of her wings. Billy was having a great time posing with a couple while they continued to photograph him.

"Hey, stay away from my tech you Booger-heads!" Gizmo yelled.

"Yeah, like you really need these." Mammoth said to a particularly tubby man before snacking on the bag of chips he'd swiped from him.

"Hey, hey, watch it man! How would you like it if I stuck my finger in _your_ eye?" See-More snapped.

Kyd Wykkyd scowled at a small family after he heard their son ask his parents if he could get "Batman's" autograph. The family backed away slowly from his glare.

Finally, after putting up with the tourists for a few minutes, the team looked at each other for a minute, nodded, and then sprinted as fast as they could away from the group, dragging a reluctant Billy with them. While they ran, Angel commanded through panted breaths and flaming eyes, "First things first, we all need to find a change of clothes and fast! Is that understood?"

This time, they all agreed, no questions asked. All of them were smart enough to know just when a girl had had enough, and none of them were really in the mood to get yelled at.

* * *

Kid Flash was doing something that he hated doing more than anything: dragging his feet. Normally, he would be speeding through life, doing whatever chore was necessary around wherever he was living at the time, and then take off to fight crime. Sometimes he would take a "quick" run around the city, see the sites and return home to think of something else to do in his free time since travel was never a problem. After his relationship with Jinx began, his schedule changed slightly. He would still perform whatever necessary chores and fight crime, but instead of going for a run, he would spend time with Jinx, which now took up most of his free time. But that never really bothered him. That is, until now. Today, he dragged his feet slower than any other point in his life. Why?

"Wally, come on, there's more stuff over here!" Jinx cried, beckoning him over.

He groaned inwardly. "Coming Sweetie," he answered unenthusiastically. Behind him he could hear muffled laughs of onlookers. He swore he could feel them pointing at him as well. As much as he wanted to turn around and give them a piece of his mind, the stack of wooden boards, metal sheets, and whatever hardware he currently held in his arms kept him from doing so. _Why me? _He thought to himself.

The day after Jinx made up her mind to renovate the underground H.I.V.E. tower, she'd gotten him up early so they could get an early start. Kid Flash had rolled over and out of his bed and landed on the floor, where Jinx had proceeded to shove him into the bathroom, telling him to hurry up and get ready so they could get to the store as soon as possible. He remembered brushing his teeth, eyes droopy, limbs aching, and now secretly sympathizing with the other members of the H.I.V.E. Five. He never knew Jinx could be _this_ pushy. Once he'd finished in the bathroom and changed into his uniform, Jinx had dragged him out of the tower (without breakfast!) and taken him to the nearest hardware store, where they'd been for the last three hours, bringing him back to his present state. While Kid Flash was normally cheerful, optimistic, upbeat, and, dare he say, one of the funniest guys he knew himself to be, today he just felt like hitting something. Particularly his bed. As he followed Jinx around the store, he heard a guy passing him make a whipping sound. If he hadn't been carrying the stuff, he seriously would have punched that guy in the face. Nobody messes with a tired, hungry, cranky, super powered teenager!

"I can't believe I'm saying this to you, but hurry up Wally! Don't you normally hate dragging your feet?" Jinx asked condescendingly.

"Yes." He said as they made their way over to the paint section.

"Hmm, the living area back at the tower was normally gold and silver. Maybe violet would be a better. It would liven up the place, add some color. Or maybe navy blue would match the new lamps we picked out. Do you think this color would be a little strange in the living room?" Jinx looked at him, holding up a colored card.

He felt like his arms were going to give out any minute now. "Jinx, don't you think we should check out the H.I.V.E. tower first before buying all this stuff?"

"No, we need to buy some supplies first so we can get started when we get there. I already know we'll need all this so might as well buy it now. Then when we've used up everything, we can buy more supplies as well as anything else we forgot to get from today."

"M-more?" Kid Flash said pathetically. _Someone, kill me now, _he thought miserably. "What else could we possibly need?"

"Oh, the paint should be the last of it for now! Then we'll be finished."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously! Now, which paint color is better?"

"The navy. Can we speed this up?" he asked eagerly.

After a couple more minutes, the paint was ready, and after a few minutes more, all the equipment was paid for. The couple now stood outside the hardware store with the supplies in hand. "There, we're finally done! Can we go home now? I'm starving!" Kid Flash complained.

"First we need to drop all this stuff at the H.I.V.E. tower. It should be about 20 minutes from here. From there, it should be about 40 minutes to get back to the Titans' tower. Then we-" Jinx stopped talking the moment she noticed her boyfriend's face. His hair was a mess; sweat was dripping down his forehead, there were bags under his eyes, the list went on and on. In summation, he looked rundown, a look which didn't suit him. She walked over to him, put an arm on his shoulder and gave him an apologetic grin to let him know she understood. "I guess we could head back to the Titans' tower and grab a bite to eat before we start renovating."

He brightened immediately. "I was hoping you'd say that!"

But as they started heading back, Kid Flash stopped in his tracks. The continued laughter behind him really was becoming annoying. He would laugh if the other person was laughing with him, but not at him! Laying his stuff down for a moment, he turned to the three men behind his back to finally give them a taste of his strength, when all of a sudden, the fake waterfall behind the men collapsed. The three were instantly soaked in water from the broken pipe that the waterfall had been attached to. Confused, Kid Flash turned to Jinx to ask if she saw what happened. Before the words could leave his lips however, he noticed her eyes were glowing a light pink.

"You're welcome!" She smiled cattily before giving him a peck on the cheek.

He returned it with a thankful smile. "Love you too Babe!" OK, maybe this shopping trip hadn't been so bad after all.

* * *

"Ugh, someperson got another barf bag?" Billy asked miserably. "I think I'm gonna hurl again."

"We haven't even taken off yet!" See-More stated.

"It don't matter, I git air sick real easy! Urp…"

"Ew, keep it in the bag Barfbrain!" Gizmo yelled.

"Don't say barf. _Bleh_!"

"Keep it down you guys; you're going to get us caught!" Angel scolded.

"Right, whatever Mom!"

Kyd Wykkyd peered over the top of his book to catch a glimpse of the others. He didn't really care what they were talking about he just found it entertaining to watch them every now and then. Gizmo and Billy had started arguing while Angel was trying to break it up, but was only managing to make it worse. See-More was attempting to tell jokes to calm everyone down, but no one seemed to be listening, and Mammoth had managed to fall asleep on a pile of luggage. Seeing as the conversation wasn't going anywhere, Kyd Wykkyd went back to his book.

After the group had escaped the terrifying tourists, they managed to slip into an alley where they attempted to map out their next move. Once everything had been decided, they broke into a small clothes store, stole one outfit per person, and split before the cops even knew they'd been there. Then, they'd snuck onto a small train and waited until they'd arrived at an airport. Luckily, the airport it went to happened to have flights going to the U.S. Though he didn't get airsick like Billy did, Kyd Wykkyd had nearly gotten sick from trying to sneak on-board the plane. Who knew it could be so difficult? They had to steal a ton of air tanks from the airport supplies, disguise themselves as luggage, and once they were on the plane, they had to remove some of the extra luggage so that they didn't weigh down the plane. And to top it off, Gizmo had to set up his holographic projector to hide them. At least he now understood why so many people disliked airports so much. Too much of a hassle! Oh well, he supposed they had to be thankful that they'd gotten on without any problems.

Going back to the book that he had swiped from one of the shops (and thankful that he'd taken a few French classes at the academy), Kyd Wykkyd attempted to continue reading, but the noise was starting to become unbearable. Plus, the clothes he was currently wearing made him squirm slightly. It wasn't that they were uncomfortable they just weren't his usual ones. The team had chosen a small no-name store to steal from, instead of from all the designer stores nearby. Despite some complaints, all agreed that stealing designer clothes would have made them stand out too much, and would be too uncomfortable anyway. From the small store, Kyd Wykkyd had gotten a black shirt, a pair of jeans, some sunglasses, and a grey hoody which he now used to cover his head out of habit. Thankfully, his own shoes hadn't clashed with his outfit, so he kept them on, as did the others. Stealing another glance at the rest of the group, curiosity compelled him to take a look at what they'd chosen since they'd been in too much of a hurry for him to look before. Billy had taken a red plaid shirt with some jeans, as well as a straw hat (not surprising) to cover his sandy colored hair. He kept his sunglasses on though, claiming that he felt "naked" without them. Gizmo had taken a small white t-shirt that said "Genius" on the front (go figure) and the only pair of shorts that fit him. Angel had taken her helmet off, letting her short, slightly wavy blonde hair hang loose, and wore a pair of sunglasses that covered her own gold eyes. Her outfit consisted of a yellow tank top with a light blue jacket over it and a long red flowing skirt that came up to her knees. See-More had put his helmet back on after they'd boarded, which matched his green, long-sleeved, hooded zip-up jacket and tan cargo pants. And last, but not least was Mammoth who wore extra-large jeans, a white muscle shirt, a black jacket, and a baseball cap to cover his head. He also carried the duffel bag that carried all of their old clothes. Kyd Wykkyd had to admit, to him, they all looked and acted like a normal group of teenagers, except for the fact that they'd stolen away on a plane. Speaking of plane, he wondered what was taking them so long to leave.

Right on schedule, the H.I.V.E. students felt the plane move underneath them, signaling them for departure. Thankfully, this caused them to finally quiet down and focus on grabbing onto something for support.

"Uh, 'xactly how long is this here flight sposed to be?" Billy asked nervously.

"Hmm, we're flying from France to New York? I'd say that it'd be about eight hours," Angel answered.

"Gulp, aw man," Billy garbled, beginning to turn green. "I don't think I'm gonna make eight 'ours"

* * *

**And there you have it, chapter 3! I really wish it didn't sound so rushed in the end. I'm hoping the next chapter won't be like that. For the next chapter, I plan to focus on the thoughts of the H.I.V.E. members, Jinx included. This way you readers out there can understand each character's take on the situation and what their plan is (at least that's how I hope for it to come out!) . The plane ride is going to be eight hours after all.**

**Anyway, reviews please!**


	5. Chapter 4: Head in the Clouds

**Chapter 4: Head in the Clouds**

Jinx sat alone on the couch, her legs crossed, arms in her lap, eyes staring at the ceiling. The Teen Titans had left for another mission, and Wally was in the guest bedroom taking an after lunch nap. She smiled at the thought. Everyone believed that the amazing Kid Flash could go for days without rest or food, and in a way, they were right. What they didn't know was how long the guy had to sleep or how much he had to eat afterwards. She knew despite his super powers, in the end he was just another growing teenage boy. But his daily routine was not what was bothering her. No matter how many times he assured her, or how many people said not to worry, she could stop thinking about _them._

The H.I.V.E. Five, as well as others at the academy, had continued to pester her a little less than a few days ago. _What would they say if I were to see them today?_ She thought to herself. They obviously hadn't been too happy with her the last time they'd seen her with Wally. Then again, who wouldn't be angry to see a former friend turn against you? _Friend…why do I keep calling them that? _She'd never really been "friends" with any of them, only teammates. Then why couldn't she stop thinking about them? And why did she feel this hollow, empty feeling in her heart that felt like something was missing? What was it? It couldn't be loneliness, Wally was always with her, and even the Titans sometimes asked her to hang out. Could it be guilt? Maybe. Or was it possibly melancholy? But again, they'd only been teammates, never friends, even if they had invited her to parties, or social outings, or asked her for help when it came to test time, but teammates did that too right? Somehow, she was now having difficulty convincing herself that it was true.

Without realizing it, her mind began to drift back to the academy days. She remembered first showing up at the school after being rejected by a dozen other schools for being a "troublesome delinquent" as they'd called her. At first, Jinx had been sure that this academy would be just like all the other schools: demanding, boring, and filled with weak-kneed pushovers who were too scared to even attempt to light a teacher's answer book on fire. She had been proved wrong quite quickly. At this school, kids wore uniforms, but not the matching ones with drab colors and knee-high socks. Oh no, the underclassmen wore purple hoods, while the upperclassmen all wore tights and masks, and causing trouble was encouraged in every class! It was a teenage delinquent's dream come true! After a mere two weeks at the school, Jinx had become the H.I.V.E. academy's Queen Bee (no pun intended), second in power only to the headmistress herself. For once, she wasn't the loser that all the cheerleaders sneered at. She commanded attention from all the students, her future teammates included.

When Jinx had first met Gizmo and Mammoth, she hadn't been too impressed. Gizmo was an immature brat with a filthy mouth and a big head. Mammoth was huge muscle man with the brain of a chimp. She'd nearly screamed when she found out she'd been paired with them, afraid that all her hard work to get to the top academically and socially would all be for naught. The school will surely start calling them the three stooges. It was inevitable that she found herself in the leader position. She quickly learned that maybe she'd judged them too soon. They followed her orders (mostly) and respected her (to an extent) and they didn't question her motives (they were too afraid to). Thus, the situation hadn't turned out too badly.

Jinx began to lean back on the couch, eyes still on the ceiling. _Yeah, those guys, _she thought. _They were really annoying but it was better than hanging out all alone. The others weren't so bad either. _Soon, her mind had drifted away from her own teammates and to her secondary classmates. She hadn't personally known any of the other students in the H.I.V.E. academy, only enough to get what she needed from them. Most of the others were too enamored by her and her social status to turn her down. Private Hive was actually really good at sports, so if there was ever a game, she would easily win him over to her team. The school required tons of books to study, and she sure hadn't wanted to carry them all on her own. Thankfully, as long as she offered to do his homework for him, Billy had been more than happy to lend a few hands. Kyd Wykkyd was a great partner for evasive training, and See-More was perfect for spying on answer keys. XL Terrestrial made things easy to reach for, Wrestling Star was a good punching bag, Angel was good for flight classes, and I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. knew all the teachers and who to look out for. The only one who she could never win over was Bumble Bee, and she now knew why. She'd had some difficulty with Angel as well, but nothing a little embarrassment and blackmail couldn't fix. She was a master of back luck after all. Back in the present, Jinx frowned at the memory. _Wow, was I really that mean?_ She wondered. It had never bugged her at first, but now…perhaps she'd been right earlier. Maybe it was guilt that she had begun to feel. Guilt for pushing people down to get ahead after being at the bottom for so long before.

Pulling her legs up to her chest, Jinx finally tore her eyes away from the ceiling and lay her head on her knees. She suddenly felt nauseous, all the memories of her cruel acts and heinous crimes starting to fly back to her like a torrent of wind. She felt trapped in a hurricane of evil, the evil that was her past self. So what if she was a hero now? Did she deserve to be free while everyone else rotted away in a dark laboratory underground? What had she done right to have a boyfriend who cared deeply about her, or for the titans to now treat her with kindness? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She'd been nothing but a selfish girl who used people. She bit her lip. _I want to take it all back! I want start over. At least let me apologize to _them _for how selfish I acted before. But…it's too late now. _A tear dripped down her cheek, followed by another and another.

When Kid Flash finally awoke from his nap, he found Jinx curled up in a fetal position on the couch, sobbing softly. All he could do for her was to hold her close while she let all of her feelings out.

* * *

"Y'all got any three's?" Billy asked behind his hand of cards.

"Go fish Billy!" one of his clones answered back before asking another clone for a 5.

"Billy, put the cards back in the trunk. We're not supposed to leave any trace of us being here," Angel scolded.

"Pfft, yer worse than my ol' lady, and she used to make me bathe in oatmeal."

"Ugh, now you're gonna make me sick." Gizmo gagged, sticking out his tongue.

"Just cool yer engines, Ma! B'sides, there's tons uh stuff in these here suitcases. Why, I even found me some nausea pills in one, and I feel better than a hen saved from the kernel!"

"Whatever," she replied, rolling her eyes.

See-More lay on his back staring up while flipping through his different eyes. "Jeez people, get a room!" he said suddenly.

"What's the matter See-More?"

"Some couple is makin' out in the lavatory. It's kinda hot, actually." He said before sitting up. "So, what do we do once we get back to the west coast? We don't exactly have any place to crash."

"We'll figure something out."

"We'll be thrown into the jailhouse the minute we step into America. We are kinda wanted criminals."

"They think we're frozen in Paris. We'll lay low until things die down."

"Well, I say we look for Jinx!"

Everyone froze and the room went silent except for the whirl of the plane's engines. Of all the things he could have said, See-More had to bring up the touchiest subject. He hardly believed he'd said it himself.

"Yeah, Jinx…" Gizmo muttered.

* * *

Mikron O' Jeneus had hated schools where everyone was older than him, but hated going to school where everyone was his age or younger even more. So, he'd gone with the lesser of two evils when a recruiter for H.I.V.E. academy had picked him up out of the orphanage after he'd slipped a robotic punching arm under the owner's seat. She'd deserved it anyway, always bossing him around and calling him out on his "foul" language. The young boy never understood what the problem was; his Daddy had used bad language on him _all _the time and no one ever told him to shut up. Anyway, going to H.I.V.E. academy was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him, he remembered. Who knew that there were so many gadgets a person could mess around with! So many possibilities just waiting to be built. He remembered the time he'd constructed his first explosive! Even better was slipping it in the toilet of the guys' bathroom! Gizmo had really gotten a kick out of that. And then came the team assignments.

Mammoth hadn't bothered him that much, except for the fact that he was extremely tall, making Gizmo feel smaller than he already was. But Jinx reminded him of the stupid owner lady who'd thrown him out of the orphanage in the first place. She was bossy, prissy, and worst of all, a _girl._ She hated bugs and getting dirty, or messing up her clothes, and he never understood why people liked her so much! See-More always had that stupid goo-goo eye look every time he saw her which made him want to barf. But she _did_ know how to get back at someone, something that never got old! She told him all of the secrets she knew about almost every person in the school, as well as when they were most vulnerable. It was his gadgets that got her the revenge and control she desperately longed for. He never bothered to tell Angel that it was his tech that Jinx had used to embarrass her (that was awesome and it worked like a charm!). When Gizmo looked at it that way, maybe it hadn't been such a bad partnership in the end. He'd come to see her as the older sister he'd never had. Soon the bossiness didn't bother him so much anymore, as long as she allowed him to use his tech anywhere he went. But now…

He grinned evilly to himself. Now she was one more victim that he could use it on, and he couldn't wait! Sure, he'd felt bothered and maybe even a tiny bit hurt when she appeared with the pretty boy, but shock and upset had soon been replaced by a greater feeling, a feeling that had him shaking. The sisterly emotions he'd held for her had immediately disappeared, replaced by the feeling of excitement! By allying with the Sludge-face Kid Flash, she'd automatically been added to his list of test subjects, aka, the people who would one day feel the wrath of his revenge! He never forgot anyone who'd wronged him in the past, no one! He _was_ a genius. His first victim after attending H.I.V.E. academy for a few weeks had been his old drunk Daddy who'd stuck him in the orphanage in the first place. All it took was a classic explosive in the engine of his precious car, and _BOOM! _Those were the best fireworks he'd ever seen.

"Heh, heh, heh," Gizmo chuckled softly while rubbing his hands together. "This is gonna be fun!"

* * *

Mammoth scratched his head as he looked around at his current teammates. He'd just woken up from his rest and was surprised to find everyone dead silent. Exactly what had he missed while he'd been sleeping?

"Hey, why's everyone so quiet?" he asked dumbly.

"See-More wants to find his girlfriend." Angel answered.

"Oh. Wait, since when did he have a girlfriend?"

"She's being sarcastic dummy," See-More said angrily. "I said that we should look for Jinx."

"Oh. Haha, girlfriend, I get it now!"

See-More's only response was a making a _pfft _sound before turning away with his cheeks a deep red. Mammoth grinned. See-More's crush on Jinx was so obvious, even he could tell. But he did bring up a good point. Exactly what did they plan to do with Jinx?

Mammoth shrugged then lay back down on the pile of luggage that he'd previously been sleeping on. Honestly, Jinx had never really been of much interest to him. She'd just been _there!_ Back at H.I.V.E. academy after team assignments had been made, Jinx was made the unofficial leader of their squad, which never really bugged him in the least, as long as she let him eat whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, which she did. Plus, she was never as bossy as the ringleader on crack back at the circus he once worked at. Correction, the circus he'd once been forced to work at. Baran Flinders, or rather The Great Mammoth Man had always been a sight to see, considered one of the largest and strongest men around! Although Mammoth had enjoyed the spotlight for a little while, he was hardly ever fed and was usually kept in chains to keep from escaping. Jinx had actually been one of the "recruiters" from H.I.V.E. academy who'd freed him, for which he was grateful. But after he began attending the academy, he pretty much forgot about her until they were assigned to the same team. He usually followed her orders without complaining, mainly because he didn't care and wouldn't know what to do with himself otherwise. Besides, Gizmo had always been more fun to hang out with anyway.

But when she'd showed up with Kid Flash, Mammoth had certainly not seen that coming. Then again, he never really saw a lot of things coming. He just liked to hit stuff, like Stone or rather Cyborg for example. He swore the next time he saw the metal man he'd tear the guy to pieces for what he did to H.I.V.E. academy. Sure, the academy hadn't been the most luxurious place in the world, but they never kept him in a cage or in chains like the traveling freak show. AND, they'd served him food every day, for free! Honestly, he couldn't care less about what happened to Jinx. If she wanted to be a hero, then fine, as long as she stayed out of his way. It was Cyborg he was really after.

Suddenly, a thought came to the giant, an idea that he'd never really considered before. If Jinx was part of the titans now, that meant she was allowed to hang out with Cyborg, which meant, if he found Jinx, she'd know how to get to the overgrown robot! And then he could finally smash the guy's head in once and for all! He smirked, proud of his idea, and cracked his knuckles while turning to See-More.

"Hey See-More, if you really want to get to Jinx, I'm willing to give you a hand."

* * *

See-More was confused. Although he was happy that Mammoth had volunteered to help him out, he was a little suspicious why he'd volunteered to help right out of the blue. Then again, he doubted that Mammoth wanted to bring any harm to Jinx. They'd been teammates for a while and Mammoth wasn't one to dwell on stuff like that. More than anything, See-More figured he was angrier about the destruction of the H.I.V.E. academy. It had been the big guy's first home that hadn't treated him like a freak. And his as well.

H.I.V.E. academy had been heaven compared to back home! No one treated him like an outsider or a test dummy, like his parents had. After he'd been born nearly blind, his scientist parents decided to invent a helmet that could help him see. The only setback was that the lens was so large, only one would fit on the helmet. While Seymour had been ecstatic at first, they began to add more and more features over time. It hadn't bothered him very much, except for the fact that they liked him to test it, and not all of the features had been painless. Once he'd taken all that he could stand, Seymour ditched his home at age 12, hitchhiking over 50 miles, until H.I.V.E. academy picked him up shortly later. It was there that he made friends for the first time, changing his name to "See-More," after one of them pointed out how well it worked with his powers. However, he'd been one of the few students who'd initially been reluctant to join an academy for villains at first. See-More had never even stolen a base in baseball, let alone become a wanted criminal. Nevertheless, the longer he stayed at the academy, the more comfortable he became with the idea. He found his sense of humor that he'd thought he'd lost long ago. He and Bumble Bee had hit it off right away with her no-nonsense sass and his carefree attitude. It had taken a bit of coaxing on See-More's part, but with a little patience he eventually won over his quiet roommate Kyd Wykkyd who, despite his dark demeanor, could actually be rather playful. Yes, H.I.V.E. academy became the only place where he could express himself freely. It was also the place where he'd first laid an eye on _her_.

Jinx had been the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. She was smart, cunning, confident, and _bad._ The moment they'd met, he'd fallen head over heels for this girl, whose name he didn't even know at the time. The words she'd first spoken to him, like a melody in to his ears. _Uh, excuse me, but that's my seat! Your seat is over there in the back next to Bumble Bee. _Those words, he'd never forget them, and he'd spent most of his time at the academy studying to be a villain, as well as win her over. But after the academy was destroyed, he'd been unable to find her. He'd never felt so distraught before. See-More searched everywhere but couldn't find any trace of her. Eventually, he did catch up to her overjoyed when she remembered his name, even more so when she offered to let him join the H.I.V.E. Five along with Mammoth, Gizmo, and Private Hive. For a while, everything was as it should have been. Then she'd just disappeared.

After the whole incident with Kid Flash, See-More had unofficially left the H.I.V.E. Five in search of the girl he loved. He'd planned out a dozen scenarios of what to say when he finally found her, but had not seen anything like this coming. She just stood there, next to the enemy, blasting her own _team_ before letting the enemy take them away to be frozen. Lying on the ground, tired and defeated, he'd been stunned speechless. Not even Bumble Bee's betrayal had hurt him this much. See-More's felt like his life had just ended. Ironically, it almost did. And now here he was, sitting amongst his _friends, _reminiscing about the past and worrying about her. He still had no idea what he'd do if he ever saw her again. Heck, he didn't even know why he still wanted to see her. All he knew was that, if he didn't, he'd never know what could happen. That's why then and there he stood up, gaining the attention of the others, took a deep breath and made his decision.

"Once we get back to America, I'm going after Jinx, whether you guys like it or not." No more joking, his mind was made up.

* * *

"Wow See-More, I think that was the funniest thing you've said yet," Angel replied, her voice full of sarcasm.

"Boy See-More, ya sure had me goin' there. Fer a moment, I almost thought y'were serious," Billy followed up, slapping his thigh.

"I'm completely serious. We need to find Jinx."

"What do you mean 'we'? Speak for yourself, I'm not going anywhere near her."

"Daw, what's wrong Angel? Still mad 'bout the whole school party?" Billy asked suggestively.

His clone snickered next to him. "That was purtty funny." The boys immediately stopped talking however when two hands reached out and grabbed them around their necks, pulling them forward.

"I believe I said before that we would never speak of that EVER!" Angel hissed through clenched teeth. She let them go, causing them to fall to the floor.

"C'mon Angel, so Jinx embarrassed ya in front of half the school. No biggie!" the clone said while rubbing his neck.

The glare she sent them left the two quiet with shivers down their spines. "Oh, you guys don't know the half of it."

* * *

As mentioned before, Angel prided herself on the ability to remain calm during even the most stressful moments in her life. But hearing _that girl's _name always left her steaming on the inside and out. She had always known that Jinx had had a tough time growing up, what with her appearance and the nature of her powers. Had she been anyone else, Angel would have pitied her. She had to admit, she'd had a fairly decent childhood compared to some of the other students, probably better than anyone in the room at the moment.

Angel crossed her arms, scowling at the wall. She wasn't sure when it had happened but even in the beginning, she'd disliked Jinx. She figured it was probably because they were polar opposites. While she'd been raised as a "good" girl, at the school, Jinx had been anything but good. She was dark, rebellious, and confident while Angel was initially shy and preferred to fade into the background. Despite her "persuasion" power, Angel preferred not to use it often, while Jinx practiced manipulation daily and openly. She truly was the perfect villainess, or rather, she had been until recently. Angel had always had her doubts about becoming a villain. Even to this day she still wondered if it had been the right choice. She blamed her overly religious mother, obsessed to the point of insanity in her opinion. Then again, her mother had rescued her from her legally insane father who decided to combine her DNA with that of a swan. Those who claim that there's a fine line between genius and insanity were right on the money when it came to him. But what of her identical twin sister Ophelia who they'd been forced to leave behind? Angel hoped no harm had come to her, but knowing her father, chances were slim. Angel had yet to see her dear sister since they'd left. Then her mother's idea of "rescue" was to lock her up in a monastery to "pray the monstrosity away", as if praying could heal her DNA. Thankfully, the H.I.V.E. academy recruiters came shortly after and took her away.

Angelina White died that day, and Angel took flight. She'd gotten along fairly well there. Bumble Bee, her first roommate, had been friendly and easy to talk to, and she formed a fairly easy friendship with Wrestling Star. Though, it was Kyd Wykkyd, the first student she'd been assigned to recruit, who became her closest friend, the one she shared everything with. For a time, Angel believed that maybe being a student at the academy wasn't as bad as she'd expected. And then Jinx shows up. After an embarrassing event at a school dance which involved her dress "accidentally" catching fire, followed up with a rough shower from the fire hose that just happened to unscrew itself as she walked in front of it, Angel found herself at the mercy of the dark sorceress, who threatened her with blackmail photos. Bad luck, as Jinx had said, sneering at her. All too suddenly, she'd been pushed down after trying so hard to stand up again. Or maybe it was more accurate to say that she'd been shoved down a fleet of stairs. Everyone had to be beneath Jinx, and that meant _everyone_.

That's why it hadn't really surprised her when Jinx switched sides. Angel had been more surprised, even a little hurt, when Bumble Bee turned out to be a traitor. Jinx really would do anything to get ahead, including turning her back on her own team. And as she finished her train of thought, Angel shook her head in annoyance.

"Jinx really hasn't changed at all since the academy was destroyed. I wonder who her next victim will be."

* * *

"See-More's right for once. We should go after Jinx!"

"Thanks Gizmo, we really should-,"

"-and tear that Crud-munching traitor to pieces!" Gizmo finished. See-More's face dropped.

"Actually, I agree with Gizmo. She betrayed us, and should suffer the consequences." Angel said.

"We don't know if she really did betray us. Maybe she was pretending to be 'good' to win their trust and spy on them." See-More attempted to reason.

"Now see here Partner, y'weren't the one that got blown away like cattle in a twister by her dag-gone energy blast!"

"Billy's right See-More! Why are you even defending her? Can't you see that she's been using you?"

"You're only saying that 'cause _you _never liked her! Isn't that right, Kyd Wykkyd?"

After hearing his name, Kyd Wykkyd looked up from his book to find four pairs of eyes looking back at him, making him uncomfortable. He really preferred to stay out of the spotlight, and all the attention was making him nervous. Heck, he didn't even know what they were discussing! It must have shown on his face since See-More had to repeat himself.

"Angel never liked Jinx and that's why she doesn't want to search for her right?"

Kyd Wykkyd shrugged. Apparently that was the wrong answer.

"What the heck does that mean? I thought she told you everything!"

"I do. He's just stating the truth."

"Come on Kyd, you're my best friend! Aren't you going to back me up? Why are you taking her side?"

"Because he realizes that your arguments aren't logical!"

At this point, Kyd Wykkyd had stopped listening and went back to reading, though his mind wasn't really into the story. Instead his thoughts began to wander back to older memories of home, a home he would surely never see again. Was Big Brother on the council yet? Did Kaida still cry a lot, like the day when their father had died and his vocal cords had been permanently damaged? He counted the years in his head. He was 16 now, so that would make Brigan 23 and Kaida 19. Surely they would have grown up by now. Kyd Wykkyd gritted his teeth at the thought. Had it really been 4 years since he'd last seen Umbra, his home planet? It seemed like only yesterday.

* * *

Hiding his face behind his book, Kyd Wykkyd closed his eyes and attempted to remember the faces of his siblings who he'd longed to see again. Big Brother Brigan had always been tall and well-built with unshakable confidence just like Father, while Kaida had a softer face and a slimmer build similar to Mother and himself. Their faces were a lot blurrier this time, and it scared him how much he'd already forgotten. He always feared the day he'd forget them completely. The universe could be very cruel as he'd learned early on. Absentmindedly, he ran a hand across his throat, feeling the long scar that lay beneath the layers of clothing.

Young Elliot had lost his voice at the age of 11. Venturing outside to the surface of Umbra was always a dangerous task, at least for his people. The Umbrans had always been a very passive race which made them the perfect slaves for other aliens. Thus they'd built their community underground where they managed to survive happily, but not everything could grow underground. Once a year, every family would venture outside at night to search for seeds to plant while wearing black hoods to blend into the darkness, earning them the nickname "shadow searchers". It had been a perfect night to search, the wind was low and the clouds blocked the moons and stars. But they'd been taken by surprise. An enemy race had been waiting for them, shooting a bomb to disperse the group, making it easier to catch them one at a time. The bomb landed a few feet from where Elliot had been standing. Elliot shuddered as he remembered what happened next. His father had thrown himself on top of him to shield him from the blast at the cost of his life, but a small piece of shrapnel had managed to slip by and lodge itself in his throat. Luckily he'd gone into shock at that moment, so he hadn't really felt any pain. It was only afterwards that he began to take in the situation. Brigan was old enough to "adopt" Kaida and him since they had no mother by then, but Elliot never forgave himself for their father's death. And not long later, a year later to be exact, he'd become one of the unlucky ones taken by the enemy and forced to be a slave. He distinctly remembered them saying he'd fetch a good price since he couldn't talk. Once they'd landed near Earth, he'd taken the opportunity to escape to the unknown planet, and was picked up by H.I.V.E. academy after. Apparently, they were constantly on the lookout for lost "extraterrestrials" as they'd called him.

Since Elliot couldn't say his own name, the academy decided to call him by the code on his arm. The slave traders had burned a code of random letters into the skin of each slave to help identify them, and his had just happened to say "kydwykkyd." They academy gone on to pronounce it as "Kid Wicked." Not that he ever argued. He hadn't even wanted to be a villain. However, he was a 12-year-old kid living on the streets on a foreign planet wearing nothing but rags and shackles, which didn't leave him in any position to turn down their offer of shelter and protection. So, he enrolled. Kyd Wykkyd had passed through the first few weeks in a daze. Still new to the planet and its people, he hadn't known exactly how to react to it all, and his inability to speak didn't help. His one-eyed roommate terrified him, always wanting to "hang out" (Hang out of what, a window?), and people were always staring at him, making him extremely uncomfortable. Back on his planet, staring was considered very rude, why did they do it so much here? So, Kyd Wykkyd kept his head down and attempted to ignore everything around him. But soon, even he got tired of keeping away from everyone. After a few months (and some "special needs for aliens" classes) he befriended some of the students, the first being his persistent and mischievous roommate, See-More. Angel had showed him kindness from the beginning, and sort of reminded him of his sister Kaida, so naturally he grew closer to her as well. Strangely enough, even Billy Numerous joined his group of friends. For once, things seemed to be looking up for him.

As for Jinx, he did his best to stay out of trouble with her. She pretty much ran the school. If she ever asked for something, Kyd Wykkyd would give it to her, mainly because he wanted to avoid confrontation. He'd known all along about her reputation and the fact that she was using him, but doing what she asked for was less trouble that fighting, so he turned back to the customary response of his people: dealing with it. Once he left the academy for good, he would no longer have to deal with her again. Or so he thought. Now he had to deal with the fact that she'd be fighting against them. Glancing back at his companions, he found See-More, Angel, Gizmo, and Billy still arguing over what to do while Mammoth had fallen asleep again. He sighed to himself. With the way things were going right now, he doubted it would take her much effort to defeat them if she showed up right now. They'd probably be too busy fighting each other. _Yep, we're one heck of a team_, he thought. Oh well, as long as they didn't drag him into the fight, he was content, and went back to reading.

* * *

"I'm telling you See-More, get over her! She isn't coming back! In case you've forgotten, she has a boyfriend now!" Angel was slowly losing her patience.

"Yeah, a Sludge-face, Gunk-munching, rotten roadrunner Titan too!"

"We don't know anything for sure! Just let me talk to her, and we can find out exactly why she joined them!" See-More continued to insist.

"And wha' in tarnations gives ya the idear that she'll speak to us without blastin' us?"

"Just give me a chance! I can speak to her."

"Forgit partner, I ain't goin' nowhere near that milkin' cow! B'sides, there's plenty more fun thin's to be done 'round the city."

"No offense Billy, but can't you suggest we do something more…productive?" Angel asked.

"'All work, no play makes Billy a dull boy' is what I say. Wasn't like that at all from where I come from!"

* * *

Billy always wondered why everyone was so high strung. He sometimes wondered if they ever knew how hard he once worked. Despite his hillbilly accent and carefree nature, Billy knew how and when to get his hands dirty. He had been born and raised on a farm after all. Being the middle child out of 9 children hadn't been easy. More kids meant more workers, but it also meant more mouths to feed. Not to mention his grandmamma and grandpappy who lived with 'em but were too old to work. Yep, food had always been a problem. Could things get any worse? He'd often asked himself. Oh yeah, out of the 9 kids, only 3 of them were boys! His ol' man often set him to work in the fields with his two older brothers, always pickin', plantin', whatever he'd been told to do. Sometimes when he took a break, if he ever got one, Billy would sit under a tree and see his younger sisters play in the fields as if they hadn't a care in the world. He often envied them for that. Being one of the few boys, he'd never really been given that chance. He wasn't sure when or why it happened, but something one day caused him to snap. Billy chuckled to himself at the memory. The face his ol' man gave him that day when he threw down his rake was priceless! Until he got a beatin' for it, then it wasn't so funny no more. Not long after he packed up and left after sunset, changing clothes and bathing in the river to throw off the family dog.

He ended up walking to the city where he was found and offered a job as a test subject for researchers. Not understanding what he was getting into, Billy accepted without any hesitation. It turned out to be even worse than back home, everyone was always so stressed and busy, it made his brain hurt. He left shortly afterwards. But one thing good did come out of the experience, one that'd he'd never tell the researchers about. Somehow, while attempting to split his cells, they gave him the ability to duplicate himself into multiple beings, an ability he intended to take full advantage of. After years of following the rules, the new Billy Numerous decided to cut loose and have some fun! He'd been in the middle of a robbing a jewelry store when the H.I.V.E. academy recruiters found him. The academy was OK, thought it was the best situation he'd been in to date. He didn't care what people thought of his accent or the way he acted, as long as he could have fun, which they never stopped him from doing. As for Jinx, boy did he have his way with her! She was always so high-strung and serious he couldn't help but push her buttons and get her angry. It was just too easy! Others had warned him that she'd ruin him if he continued to get in her way, but Billy had simply responded "I've been at the bottom b'fore, and it ain't no big deal! At least no person hassles ya down there!"

Billy snickered back to himself. Now that he thought about it, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to see Jinx again. He hadn't had a good laugh in a while! And Jinx was the perfect person to annoy! He snickered again before speaking up to his current "comrades in crime."

"Ya know, maybe we should give luver boy 'ere another chance! We ain't got nothin' to lose! I've been at the bottom b'fore, and it ain't no big deal! At least no person hassles ya down there!"

* * *

With Billy's latest announcement, silence engulfed them all once more. In their heads, their minds had been made up. The question was, what would their plan of action be that would give them each what they wanted? It was something they'd have to discuss in an hour because, according to Gizmo, that was all the time they had left until the flight landed. They all knew without saying, a decision must be made!

* * *

"Feel better now?" Kid Flash asked his girlfriend, gently stroking her hair in comfort.

She sniffed slightly before answering. "Yeah, I'm ok now. Thanks."

"No problem," he answered while she sat up. "Care to tell me what was bothering you?"

Jinx looked down at her hands that lay in her lap, fumbling for the right words. "I, well, you see…I was just thinking about my time in H.I.V.E. academy is all."

"You're going to have to be a little more specific there."

"At the academy, I wasn't exactly the nicest person there."

"Jinx, it was a school for bad guys, I didn't expect you to be!"

"That's just it!" she cried before turning back to face him. "I was awful to people there. I hurt them, I used them, and I did terrible things to them to make me look better! And now, well, what gives me the right to be here unharmed? I deserve to be frozen along with them!" Jinx yelled her voice near hysterical now. "I'm a terrible person Wally, I shouldn't be here!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up for a second! First of all, you're not a terrible person. Second of all, those guys were all bad guys, so they probably deserved it. Third of all, and listen up because this is important," Kid Flash said sternly before pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her, "we can't change who we were in the past. Everyone has done some things that they regret. Heck, even I did a couple of things I wish I hadn't. But it doesn't matter now. What does matter is who you choose to be right here and now in the present! You've decided to be someone good and you've started taking steps towards that goal. Besides, everyone deserves a second chance, right?" he asked her with those hopeful eyes that she could never seem to resist.

"I guess you're right," she said solemnly, though not entirely convinced. But once he pulled her closer towards him so that she now lay on his chest, everything she was thinking about before flew out the window. Jinx laughed before pulling herself up so that their faces were leveled. "You have a way with words, don't you Wally?"

"Call me the human dictionary." He followed up with a light kiss on her lips, one that she eagerly returned. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Jinx pulled herself closer to give him better access to her mouth. Oh yes, he had a way with words and was a great kisser, a perfect combination in her opinion. If only the moment could last forever…

"DUUUDE, SERIOUSLY?"

The two quickly pulled apart when an unexpected voice rudely interrupted their alone time. The couple looked over the back of the couch to see a green boy with his arms crossed looking thoroughly annoyed. The two sighed. Guess this means the Titans had finished their mission.

"Do you mind, we're having a moment here!" Kid Flash replied, obviously upset over the interruption.

"Come on! Not only do I have to deal with Robin and Starfire making out in dark corners, now I have to watch you guys too?" Beast Boy complained.

"We heard that Beast Boy!" another voice called. In walked Robin and Starfire, hand in hand.

"You really should not insult our friends Beast Boy. While they live in our house we are to show them great hospitals!" Starfire grinned.

All three blinked in confusion. "I think she means, 'hospitality'." Robin clarified.

"Oh. Well, I guess he's right though. We should take this someplace more 'private'. If you'll excuse us," Kid Flash said eagerly, lifting his girl up into his arms as she gave a small squeal, "we'll be going now!" And just like that, Kid Flash took off towards the guest bedrooms carrying Jinx bridal style.

"He's right," Robin agreed, "Starfire, we can go out somewhere now that we have some free time, that is, if you're interested." He said nervously tugging his collar, an action that didn't suit the normally serious Robin. However, Starfire was overjoyed.

"Oh, yes I would very much like that Robin! I have been feeling some of the fever of the cabin and wish to spend some time with you now that the mission is over!" She gushed. The two departed shortly after, leaving Beast Boy alone in the silent, empty living room, secretly steaming inside.

"Hmph, everyone is too busy with their _girlfriends_," Beast Boy finished mockingly on the last word. "Dude, life is so unfair."

* * *

"So we've all agreed that this is our plan of action?" Angel asked. She looked around at the boys, all nodding their heads in agreement, some rather reluctantly. She nodded back at them, letting them know she understood. "Good, once we get back to the west coast, we'll put our plan into action."

As the last word left her mouth, all went quiet once they heard a voice echo above their heads. An announcement that the plane would be landing soon. All of them took a seat on the ground and braced themselves for the harsh landing they were bound to feel. The teenagers shook with anticipation of what was to come, not the landing, but the meeting with their former teammate. It would be an interesting one indeed.

"So it begins."

* * *

**Oh my God, I think that last chapter just killed me! It started out alright and then it slowly began to drag out. Sorry if it's boring, I just wanted to give everyone a look at what they might be thinking. Each of the H.I.V.E. members has their own opinion and take on the situation. I purposely tried to be vague on their backgrounds so I might possibly give them their own stories ! Maybe ;) **

**On a second note, I'm sorry if I made Jinx sound really mean! She was initially portrayed as a bit mean, so I figured she'd be one of the "popular" girls that show up in High School. But don't worry she's better now! She's got Wally (I love them as a couple!).  
**

**Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something! Umbra, the name of Kyd Wykyd's planet, is Latin for "shadow." I thought it would be fitting.  
**

**So, reviews, comments, criticisms are appreciated just no flames or nasty comments. Stay tuned for chapter 5!  
**


	6. Chapter 5: Something Wykkyd This Way

**Chapter 5: Something Wykkyd This Way Comes**

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"…How 'bout now?

"No!"

"Now?

"NO!"

"Are we-?"

"Shut up, Kludge-head!" Gizmo yelled.

"This is borin'! How long is this here drive 'sposed to take? "

"Longer than a few hours! Now knock it off, Billy, it's your fault that it's taking longer than it should." Angel scolded.

After the plane landed, the team easily escaped unnoticed thanks to Kyd Wykkyd's teleportation power. Once Gizmo hacked into the airport security cameras, they'd slipped by into the main airport lobby, blending into the crowd of loudly chattering travelers who continued to pass by. Tired and confused, the group trudged through the JFK airport, searching for a flight that would get them back to the West coast or one that could at least get them close. Thankfully, things were going well, with the exception of See-More who had to have Kyd Wykkyd be his guide due to his poor eye sight without his helmet. But trouble arose in the form of a green hillbilly. The nausea pills he'd "borrowed" from a suitcase on the flight back from Paris had begun to wear off. As a result, Billy began to feel under the weather yet again. He'd refused to go anywhere near a plane, and almost vomited when they tried to forcefully drag him back in. Then again, the rest of the gang was so exhausted and jet lagged, they didn't really put much effort into trying to force him. Thus, the six teens found themselves at a standstill. Here they were after eight hours of flying and still miles away from home. They found themselves lounging on the benches for another hour, trying to decide what the next step would be while Billy remained permanently bent over a trash can.

Eventually, it was See-More who came up with the best solution. Using his hypnotic eye, he'd brainwashed a waiting taxi driver into driving them all the way west, and then some. So far, they'd been in the taxi for about four hours now. Mammoth had fallen asleep _again _and snored loudly in the front seat while in the two middle seats, Gizmo played a video game on a small handheld device with See-More looking over his shoulder next to him. In the back seat, Angel and Kyd Wykkyd sat near the windows with Billy wedged in-between them, keeping the peace. The two had reconciled somewhat, but still refused to speak directly to each other. At the moment, Kyd Wykkyd had fallen asleep as well, his breathing even and steady. Angel leaned against her door and peered out the window, watching the world race by down the highway. Not that there was much to see, it was just a habit of hers. Billy, with his legs stretched out in-between Gizmo and See-More and his arms behind his head, looked more bored than ever before. He had refused to be quiet since they'd left the airport and everyone was getting fed up with listening to him whine.

"How long is this gonna take?" he asked again for the 50th time since they'd left.

"I don't know, I JUST DON'T KNOW!" Angel yelled.

"Geez, yer right next to me, ya don't hafta scream. What's got ya so uptight, Angel?"

"I wonder…" she muttered under her breath.

"This is takin' longer than a fire to-"

"Zip it already, man. We're tired of hearing you talk!" See-More joined in.

"Oh, ya'll are makin' this such a big deal!"

What started out as light banter after the first hour soon erupted into all out chaos. While Billy kept complaining, Angel had reached the end of her rope, no longer attempting to hold back her frustration. Gizmo had gone off on a long list of curses, using every fowl word in his dictionary, some of which none of them had ever heard before. With See-More now involved, combined with Mammoth's loud snores up front, the tiny taxi van had become louder than a rock concert.

"Billy, we're _this _close to THROWING YOU OUT!"

"SHUT YOUR SOUTHERN PIE HOLE ALREADY!"

"HEY, HEY, AIN'T MY FAULT Y'ALL CAN'T STAND MY ACCENT! MAYBE YA SHOULDA STOLEN YA SOME EAR PLUGS!

"I'LL SHOVE MY EXPLODING EYE IN _YOUR_ EAR AND YOUR MOUTH IF YA DON'T SHUT UP!

Correction, it was worse than ten rock concerts with a couple of blow horns thrown in and some running motorcycles to boot. At this point, everyone was yelling at anybody, all trying to get the others to quiet down with little success. The jet lag wasn't helping either.

"Seriously, y'all need to calm yer cattle! 'Matter of fact, y'all should be happy there's only 'nough room for one of me in here! If yer that eager, I could stuff this here cab with a dozen of me, so much there ain't gonna be no…no…" It was only then that Billy realized his companions had all grown silent. Each wore large frowns, eyes wide, faces contorted in fear.

"What, cat got yer tongues?" He asked raising his hands in confusion.

They shook their heads before raising index fingers to his left side. Billy followed their pointed fingers until he eyes fell on the monster next to him. Blood rushed from his face as he let out a soft "eep!"

Contrary to humans, Umbrans only needed five hours of sleep overall to feel completely rested, but on the other hand, if they fell short even by a minute, things tended to get a little ugly. With all of the noise they'd been making, the four had managed to wake a sleeping dragon. Kyd Wykkyd's teeth were bared in a snarl worse than that of a junkyard dog, his red eyes blazing with fury, so much so they appeared to be aflame. The effect was only heightened by the grey hood over his head, shading his face in darkness.

Billy gulped, slowly feeling himself shrink down to size. "I'm gonna shut up now…" he squeaked.

And just like that, it was like a switch had been flipped off. As if nothing had happened, Kyd Wykkyd settled back down in his seat and fell asleep once more, not even lifting a hand to brush away his dark bangs that fell into his eyes.

Needless to say, other than Mammoth's snoring, the taxi van was nice and quiet the rest of the way until it reached the first pit stop. Leave it to the silent ones to speak the loudest of all when necessary.

* * *

_At first there was nothing but darkness. All around rubble was scattered across the ground, collecting dust from the time that had passed with nearly no activity. Wires hung from the ceiling like dismembered arms reaching out for the other end that would never connect. Not a sound could be heard other than the hiss of the breeze that made its way through the stray cracks in the walls. All contributed to the feeling of eternal hopelessness that lingered in the air. Suddenly, an eerie creak was heard, disturbing the unmoving, desolate structure. The creak grew louder and louder until after over a century of disuse, the old broken-down door was opened and a magnificent voice called out…_

"LET THERE BE LIGHT! Ow! Jinx, what was that for?"

"Must you overdramatize this?"

"What? I just wanted to make things a bit more exciting," Kid Flash replied curtly behind the stack of wooden boards he currently held in his arms.

"If you ask me, you're going a little overboard. It hasn't been over a century, it's only been a few weeks!" Jinx said, laying down a bag of full of screws and nails. She still couldn't believe it had been that long since she'd last come back here, yet it looked as though nothing had changed. The H.I.V.E. Five underground tower was still just as trashed as it had been when she'd left. Despite her initial excitement over renovating, it had taken Jinx a few days to finally muster the courage to return to her old home. She was sure she'd gotten past her fear, but now that they were here in the tower itself, surrounded by all four walls, memories she'd struggled to bury came rushing back to the surface. If she focused hard enough, she could still see the old living room before Kid Flash had torn it apart. Billy would be sitting on the couch with three other clones probably playing a video game on the flat screen TV they'd stolen. Gizmo would have been messing around with the computer while Mammoth raided the fridge. Kyd Wykkyd would be in a corner somewhere reading a book, and See-More would be in a chair polishing the large lens on the front of his helmet. And where would she be, she wondered?

"Hello, Earth to Jinx!"

"Huh?!" she started, snapping out of her thoughts.

"You still there, Sweetie?" he asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just…thinking is all." She said hesitantly.

Kid Flash frowned. "You don't sound fine. You sound sort of upset."

"Just some old memories, no big deal," she assured him, pushing more confidence into her voice.

He still didn't look convinced. Kid Flash made his way to her side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Jinx you don't have to push yourself. I know how this must feel, and if this too much for you we don't have to go through with it," he whispered gently in her ear. "Just say the word, and we can leave right now."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks Wally. I guess I've been overestimating myself. Maybe we should just leave and come back another- wait a second…" she stopped, shoving his hand off her shoulder. She turned to face him with both palms on her hips and her face wearing a stubborn scowl. "Don't think you can talk your way out of this one! We are fixing this tower whether you like it or not!"

"AW, COME ON!" he cried in exasperation, annoyed that she'd seen through his act so quickly. "There are so many better things we could be doing right now! Think of all the time we're wasting in here!"

Jinx only crossed her arms across her chest. "I distinctly remember you saying 'When you're as fast as me, time is something you have plenty of.'"

"When have I ever said that?!"

"When we first met in the museum."

_Damn it, _he cursed in his head. _I hate you karma!_

"Let's go, Mr. Pouty, this tower isn't going to clean itself." She called over her shoulder as she made her way back up the fleet of steps to bring down more supplies. Kid Flash grudgingly followed behind her, dreading the project already.

Once they'd reached first floor, out of habit, Jinx fumbled for a light switch on the wall before remembering that they had no power. This time, it was her turn to sigh in exasperation. "Wally, when you destroyed everything, couldn't you at least have left the power plant alone?"  
"Hey, blame your spooky bat friend, he helped break it!"

"Who, Kyd Wykkyd?"

"Yeah, what's-his-face, he cut through part of the generator with his cape. Though, I might have been the main target!"

"Well then, could you be so kind as to open a window?" she asked sarcastically.

This time Kid Flash didn't reply or argue, only walked painfully slow over to one of the cracked windows. At first, the thing refused to budge since the window hadn't been opened nor oiled in a while. But after a few seconds and a good yank, the window gave way with a satisfying squeak, and sunlight poured into the room. Kid Flash stuck his head outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. The weather was so nice out, and yet here he was cooped up in the dark, damp underground headquarters of his former enemies. This was so not how he planned on spending his Saturday morning.

"Wally, come on, I need your help over here."

"Yes, Dear," he answered unenthusiastically. However, just as he turned around to go back in, Kid Flash found himself looking into eyes the shade of vibrant yellow.

"AAGH!" he cried out in surprise, before shutting the window and dashing behind Jinx.

"What now?" she asked.

"There's something out there!" He pointed.

Jinx rolled her eyes, walking nonchalantly towards the window. She pulled the glass up without any trouble and stuck her head out the window. She gasped at what she saw. "You came back," she said slowly, as if she didn't believe herself. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again.

"Wally, there's someone I'd like you to meet!" she said over her shoulder. Pulling her head back in, Jinx turned around and held up the little visitor for him to see.

"Meow."

"Uh, Jinx, that's a cat."

"I know! He was our unofficial pet here in the tower." She said happily, stroking the cat's fur causing it to purr affectionately in her arms. The little fur-ball appeared to be only a few months old, not completely grown, with short and sleek black fur and big yellow eyes that seemed to seemed to be watching him. Kid Flash shuddered. He'd never been a huge fan of cats.

"Well, say hello! His name is Kyddie!"

"Love the name, very original."

"It's 'Kyddie' not 'Kitty'. We named him after Kyd Wykkyd since they look alike." She held the cat up to him once more. "See the resemblance?"

Kid Flash stopped and stared for a moment. He leveled himself with the cat, squinting one eye shut for a dramatic effect, scrutinizing the small creature. "Kyddie" only stared back at him.

"Now that you mention it, they do look similar. I think it's the black fur and the blank expression."

_Chomp!_

"Ow!" Kid Flash cried, both hands going to his nose. "Jiiiinxxx, he bit me!" he said in a high pitched, whiney voice resembling a child's.

"Well, when you put your face that close to his, what did you expect him to do?" she asked sarcastically, before cuddling the cat in her arms again. "Aw, did that mean boy scare you? Poor thing!"

Normally, Kid Flash was very laid back. He hardly ever held grudges, liked to toy with his enemies, made jokes in the middle of battles, and tended to let things go very easily. In short, most things didn't bother him. Which was why he was surprised to find himself glaring daggers at the little ball of fluff that Jinx now held close in her arms. He felt a strong feeling bubbling inside, one he hardly ever felt before. It was the intense feeling of loathing. He growled under his breath as Kyddie licked his girlfriend's face affectionately. _No one does that to her but me! _he grumbled. Kyddie looked back at him for a moment, blinking innocently at him as if he didn't understand what he'd done. _Challenge accepted! _he swore secretly. Kyddie only stared.

Suddenly, the three were interrupted by an insistent buzzing and the sound of an electronic voice. "Robin calling Jinx, do you read me?"

Jinx pulled out her communicator with one hand, holding Kyddie with the other. She opened it to see the face their infamous leader. "What's up Robin?"

"Jinx, there's someone back here calling the tower, and they want to speak to you. You got a minute?"  
"Can you page them through? I'm in the middle of something."

"She says it's important and would rather speak to you back here in the tower, just in case someone is listening in."

"Sorry Robin, but I'm going to be a bit bus- Hey!"

"Hey Robin, tell her we'll be right there!" Kid Flash answered cheerfully before hanging up. He tossed the communicator playfully back to Jinx, who scowled back at him for stealing it from her in the middle of speech. "We better go! Don't want to keep whoever she is waiting!" Kid Flash said happily, relieved at the chance of putting the renovation on hold yet again. Dashing over, he scooped a struggling Jinx into his arms before taking off in the direction of Titans tower.

"Wally, put me down right now! We need to get started on the tower!" Jinx yelled as she continued to squirm in his grasp. But her protests fell on deaf ears. Kid Flash was moving too fast to hear her, and even if he wasn't he probably would have been too distracted to anyway. In the end, she figured it was probably better to let it go and wait once he finally stopped. She would get him later for this!

Due to Kid Flash's speed paired with his eagerness to leave, the couple found themselves back at Titan's tower in no time at all. Kid Flash dashed up the stairs (he'd always hated elevators, they were way too slow!), ran through the hallways, and finally made it to the main living area, where the rest of the titans waited expectantly.

"See, I told ya they'd get here in less than five minutes! Pay up, BB!" Cyborg cheered.

"Dude, I already told you I'm totally broke!" Beast Boy said, pulling at the linings of his empty pockets.

"Sorry we're late, just had to- Ow! Jinx!" Kid Flash cringed.

"Sorry Wally, but you deserved that," she replied. Though she did help him remove the little black cat from where he'd latched on to Kid Flash's arm. Once he did eventually let go, Kyddie merely gave him the innocent stare back, which only annoyed him further.

"I'm watching you…" Kid Flash warned him, holding up two fingers to his eyes then back at the cat, which only led him to be bitten once again. Kid Flash gritted his teeth. And people wondered why he disliked cats. Apparently, the others didn't share his feelings.

"Oh hello little furry friend who is new to our tower! You are so adorable and cute!" Starfire beamed, picking up the little cat and cuddling it in her arms. Kyddie, for his part, actually purred. Kid Flash growled under his breath. _Stupid fur ball!_

"Anyway, who was calling?" Jinx asked, bringing them all back on target.

"One moment," Robin answered. He walked over to the front of the tower where the large screen, often used for television, rested. After punching in a few buttons, the screen began to buzz with static until it finally cleared and revealed a familiar face. Jinx felt her own face light up at the sight of the person on the screen.

"Hey Jinx, haven't seen ya in a while!"

"Right back at ya, Bumble Bee! How've you been?" She asked eagerly.

"Pretty good I guess. Things have been pretty quiet up here in Steel City. Not much happening except for a couple of muggings and rescue missions, nothing big," she responded easily. "Hey, I hear you've been lookin' for your own place. How's that coming along?"

"It would be lot better if _someone_ would just help out a little more and stop joking around!" Jinx said, turning slightly to look at her boyfriend, still messing with the cat.

"Jinx, won't he give me bad luck if he crosses my path?"

Jinx rolled her eyes. "You're more likely to get bad luck from me than from him." She turned back towards the screen, shaking her head. "_Boys._ But going back to before, Robin told me you had something important to tell me."

Bumble Bee's face became stern and serious when she nodded in response. "Actually, there's something I wanted to show you first. I was doing a little bit of searching online a few days earlier just to see if any unusual activity was mentioned, when I came across _this._" At that moment, Bumble Bee's face disappeared and was replaced with what appeared to be a photograph taken from a camera phone. The title was _French Cosplayers_, located at the top of the picture. But it was not the title that had chilled Jinx to the bone, or caused her heart rate to escalate, as well as her breathing to stop. No, it was the photo itself. In the picture, six of the H.I.V.E. academy students stood frozen in what appeared to be a crowd of tourists. Behind them she could see the Eifel tower shining in all its glory. Their figures were so clear she could name every student in the photo, despite the fact that they were trying to get away from the group judging from their postures.

"Jinx!" Kid Flash cried out, running over and catching her as she collapsed in his arms. Throwing his arm around her waist, he carefully led her to the couch and let her sit. "Deep breaths Sweetie, deep breaths," he said calmly, rubbing her back.

The rest of the titans were in no better condition. Starfire gasped in shock, covering her mouth with her hands. Cyborg had his hands curled into fists and his teeth gritted as he stared back at the photo. Beast Boy let out a light "dude…" and stood up from where he was sitting. Even Raven had put her book down and stopped to look with wide eyes. The only one who wasn't freaking out was Robin, who remained fairly composed except for the light twitch of his eyes behind his mask.

"Bumble Bee, where exactly did you find these?" Robin asked.

Bumble Bee's face reappeared on the screen in place of the picture. "I found this on some social network. This is only one of many. According to the site, it says these were posted about a week ago."

"Send us the link and we can analyze them over here."

"Wait a minute, you said they were posted a week ago right? When were the photos actually taken?" Kid Flash inquired skeptically.

"Not sure, it doesn't say."

"Then, do you think that maybe the photos were taken _before_ the Brotherhood of Evil went after us, when all the bad guys were gathered in Paris? And maybe the photographer just now posted them online?" he pointed out.

Bumble Bee nodded. "Of course we've considered the possibility. However it's pretty unlikely."

"She's right," Robin agreed. "If the Brain was planning a sneak attack, he probably wouldn't want any of his 'agents' out and about. He probably would have kept an eye on all of them until it was time to strike. There's a greater chance that this picture was taken after they'd been defeated," he explained. "Which means…"

"They've broken the ice!'' Beast Boy finished.

"Not funny Beast Boy," Raven followed up dully.

"Right. But I didn't show this to you to get y'all up in arms. I only wanted you to be aware of the possible threat. Kid Flash does have a point though it could have been taken before the big battle, but it could have been taken afterwards. Be on the lookout for any suspicious activity. We'll be keeping our eyes open here in Steel City, so y'all do the same down there."

"Don't worry you can count on us Bee." Cyborg assured her.

"I know I can Sparky. And Jinx?"

Jinx's eyes flew to the screen, her hands clutching at the hem of her dress. She hadn't spoken since the photo was displayed. And now that the spotlight was on her, she didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Bumble Bee seemed to sense that and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Jinx, everything will be just fine. Even if they did show up, I'm sure you could take them down single-handedly. You were their leader after all!"

"I know, and that's what I'm afraid of…" she whispered.

Kid Flash put his hand on her shoulder. "Jinx, we're all here to protect you. There's no way they can get past all of us, I promise." However, this time, Jinx didn't respond.

"Anyway, I have to go, there's something else I need to take care of here. Bumble Bee out!" And with a flash of static, she was gone. The rest of the titans looked back at each other in confusion. Nobody knew what to say. While they'd all considered the possibility that the ice would someday give way, now that there was proof that it may have actually happened, none of them knew how to react. Finally, it was Robin who came forward.

"Alright team it's time to get serious. We need to start taking precautions with this new development. So, first we're going to…"

Jinx began to tune him out. Inside, she shivered. Her former classmates were free, most likely, and were running about somewhere. Despite all the promises and reassuring, nothing could calm her now. Not with the possibility that they might be coming after her right now. Looking up from her lap, she took a glance out the window. In the distance, she could see a group of dark clouds approaching. A storm was coming.

* * *

"Target confirmed. She's with the slut-faced titans, just as we thought." Gizmo said, peering through his binoculars pointed towards the Titan's tower. "Once the sun sets, we can begin phase one."

"Good," Angel nodded.

"Ya ready Wykkyd?" See-More asked, turning towards his silent teammate. Kyd Wykkyd nodded in response.

"Give him the supplies Gizmo!"

"Alright let's see here," Gizmo dug through a brown sack he now carried, "one dose of anesthesia," the boy recited, handing Kyd Wykkyd the syringe they'd stolen from the local hospital, "and one hacking disk. Just slip it into the computer, and it'll do all the rest!" he cackled evilly.

Kyd Wykkyd slipped both tools into his cloak before walking to the ledge of the building they stood on. Behind them, lightning lit up the sky with large bolts crashing down while thunder followed right after with a boom. The sky slowly began to darken as the sun slowly began to set. The clouds continued to creep along, covering the city in a dark haze. With the light beginning to recede, their dark hooded friend grew more and more sinister looking in his flowing cape and red eyes glowing. A few of them shuddered slightly. It was almost time to go.

See-More took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Hey Wykkyd!" he called out. Kyd Wykkyd turned in acknowledgement. See-More smiled at his friend. "Try not to have too much fun, alright?"

Kyd Wykkyd narrowed his eyes and smirked back. _As if! _he seemed to say. And then he turned away and wrapped his cape around him, disappearing into the night like the shadow that he was. The sight reminded See-More of a quote from a play that he'd been forced to read back in the H.I.V.E. academy. Supposedly, the play was supposed to teach the students a little about the nature of murder, though he'd never been interested in anything dealing with literature. But for some reason, that one quote came back to him now just because it felt so fitting.

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!"

* * *

**Wow, have I really written this many chapters? I guess so. Much thanks to everyone who decided to pick up this story and follow along, that makes me so happy! I made a few little changes to the previous chapters, mainly spelling and grammar though. **

**Can you guess which play the quote See-More made came from? I'm sure you can!**

**I want to give a shout out to "Wallart plus Flinx equals War" for the many reviews! I know I'm an amateur, but I appreciate the support you've given me so far!**

**Anyway, reviews and criticism are accepted just no flames! Please?**


	7. Chapter 6: Out of the Dark

**Chapter 6: Out of the Dark**

Night had already come and settled when the Titans finally decided to say goodnight. Everyone was taken aback by the news from that evening, and had all stayed up to discuss the future plans for how to handle it. It was not that they feared the H.I.V.E. Five returning, but rather they were more afraid that the other villains might have run free as well. By midnight, they'd contacted the closest Titans near the Brotherhood base and warned them of the possible breakout. But soon, even the almighty Teen Titans needed some sleep and were forced to retire to bed after their eyelids refused to stay open.

"Good night friends!" Starfire said cheerfully, though with not as much energy as usual.

"Get some rest team, we've got a busy day tomorrow," Robin stated.

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me," Beast Boy answered wearily, stifling a yawn.

Raven merely nodded then headed off to her room, albeit slowly while Cyborg activated the tower's night security system.

"Night y'all don't let the bed bugs bite!" Kid Flash called out. The Titans nodded back though he swore he saw BB shudder slightly. He wondered if that had ever been a problem for him in the past. He shrugged to himself, scooped up Jinx into his arms, and walked (yes walked) to her room where he laid her on the bed. With everything that had happened that day, he'd decided not to be too rough with her. She was so close to breaking already, he feared anything more might shatter her completely. So, Jinx sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Kyddie's fur in comfort and adjusted the little bell that they'd decided to put on him. As much as it bothered him that she was seeking comfort from the _cat _and not him, Kid Flash remained quiet and let her in peace. After a few minutes, her hand ceased movement, and she turned her head up to look at him in the eyes. Kid Flash seated himself next to her on the bed and raised a palm to her cheek. She nuzzled her face against it in response. He decided that this time, it was alright to speak.

"Jinx, I'm sorry," he whispered softly.

"For what?" she asked weakly.

"For giving you false hope." When she gave him a look that told him she didn't understand, he elaborated. "I led you to believe that there was no way those guys would ever break out of that ice. And now look what happened."

"Wally, I don't blame you for anything," she replied, raising her own hand to his cheek. "You were just trying to help, and I'm thankful for that. Besides, you said you'd protect me right?" Kid Flash nodded. "Then I expect you to uphold that promise."

"I will," he said without a hint of teasing in his eyes. At that moment, he sounded so serious, for a second, Jinx was unsure whether it really was him, or if he'd replaced himself with a robot, just like when Cyborg infiltrated the academy. She decided to test the theory.

"Good, because I was hoping that maybe you could spend the night with me just in case."

And just like that, his face lit up instantly. "Of course Babe, anything for you!" he answered eagerly, a little too eagerly for a robot.

Jinx rolled her eyes. _Oh yeah, it's definitely him,_ she sighed. "Clothes remain _on, _Wally."

His face dropped. "Fine…" he answered back with his lip sticking out. The sight was enough to make her laugh which lifted her spirits if only a little bit. As she got off the bed and headed to the bathroom, behind her she could hear him squabble with the cat for the 4th time today.

"Oh no you don't pussycat that is _my _spot! You can sleep on the floor! Come here you little sack of- Ow! Jinx he bit me again!"

Jinx left the room with a smile on her face, feeling a little lighter than before. She had to admit, though he could be a pain in the butt sometimes, Kid Flash always left her a little happier in the end, whether it was his jokes or a more than that.

However, with all the commotion, neither of the two had noticed that they were being watched by an unseen visitor. Had Kid Flash only turned his head a little faster, he would have caught sight of him before he disappeared into the dark, silent as the night wind.

* * *

A loud crash of thunder had Raven sitting up out of bed breathing heavily. At least she thought it was the thunder that woke her. She found it rather strange though, since storms never seemed to bother her in the past and she had always been accustomed to the darkness. Raven was practically born in darkness after all. She lay her head back down on her pillow, and closed her eyes, prepared to fall back asleep when a feeling struck her. A very familiar feeling, one that she should not have felt at this time of night. Someone was here. On impulse, she jerked herself up, threw off the sheets, and jumped to her feet, hands burning with dark energy. Eyes glowing and fists raised, she focused her spirit on her surroundings, searching for any sign of life.

At first, Raven heard nothing, felt nothing but the still air and the light rain that began to fall against her window. But once she poured all of her concentration into it, she felt the sensation yet again. Her ears twitched as she struggled to pick up any noise. They were soft, but she could hear them, light pants of breath from the being that lurked here somewhere. Despite her rapid pulse, Raven forced herself to relax and fought to push all of the tension out of her voice.

"I know you're there," she whispered coolly. "If you come out now, I promise to go easy on you.

As expected, only silence answered her. She sniffed. "I'm warning you, you're only making this harder on yourself. If you don't come out now, I'll just have to search for you. Azarath, Metrion," she started. But before she could finish the familiar incantation, the presence disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving her slightly rattled, though she'd never admit it. Nevertheless, she remained in position, ready for battle, waiting for any sign of life. However, after a few minutes of no other movement, Raven slowly forced herself to relax somewhat, lowering her hands to her sides. Glancing about her room, she searched for any sign of the mysterious intruder but to no avail. Only pitch black shadows stared back at her, dancing across her walls as the lightning flashed outside her window. But she still wasn't convinced.

_Strange, _she thought to herself. _I was sure I felt someone's presence earlier, but now…_ The presence had simply vanished. Could she have imagined it, she wondered. It seemed very unlikely but it was possible. _Perhaps I'm more tired than I thought_. But just as she turned around to go back to bed, like a burst of light, the presence suddenly reappeared. It was nearby, but she couldn't determine exactly where. Taking a breath to steady herself the dark sorceress sent out her spirit about the room and beyond just to be sure when the chilling realization hit her along with a shudder down her spine. The intruder _was_ very close…as in, right behind her!

With all of the speed she could muster, Raven swung her body around, beginning her chant again, when the wind was suddenly knocked right out of her, as though someone had just kneed her in the stomach. Caught off guard, she gasped for breath, fighting with all her might to stay on her feet. However, her enemy took the opportunity to overwhelm her with another kick to her chest this time, followed by an uppercut under her chin, and finally a hook punch to the side of her head, leaving her slightly dazed and taken aback, though still conscious. "Azarath, Metrion, Zin-" Raven tried with the last of her strength, when this time she was cut off by a different kind of pain: a prick to the wrist. Almost immediately afterwards, she felt her muscles begin to go limp and a fog filled her head as a feeling of somnolence overtook her. In the end, despite how hard she had fought, the drug was too much and Raven found herself sprawled on the floor, completely sedated. Her attacker only looked down at her with a smirk then took out a bright yellow hexagonal-shaped communicator and typed a message to his comrades. _'Step 1 complete, moving on to Step 2. Begin preparations for end result.'_

Outside, the light rain had turned into a downpour.

* * *

_Ah, here it is! _Kyd Wykkyd thought triumphantly. The Titan's mainframe computer buzzed with activity, helping the Titans sleep better at night with its security system. The screen towered over him like a giant shiny wall, making him twitch his eye. _It's much bigger than the computer we had back in the H.I.V.E. tower. How come we never had one of these things back there? Oh right, Cyborg built it. I better let Gizmo know he's falling behind. _All the while as these thoughts ran through his head, to any other person, Kyd Wykkyd simply stood there staring and unmoving. _I wonder if that's why people think I'm weird. It's not like I can ask them that directly. They'd only run away. I wish I could tell them I only wear black because I can't be out in the light for very long. I wonder if losing my voice was fate's way of telling me I talked too much when I was younger. Father did tell me that I should listen more often. At least that's what I thought he said he was always a bit cryptic. Could you become really cryptic from emotional scarring? Maybe it's because…_

Before he could finish the thought, a soft buzzing interrupted him midway. Glancing at his communicator, a blaring yellow message stood out against the black screen. 'We're done with the preparations. WHAT THE KLUDGE IS TAKING YOU SO LONG?' Kyd Wykkyd frowned after reading. _I must have been thinking off topic again. Darn, I hate when that happens. Oh well._ He shrugged slightly to himself before pulling out the disk from his pocket. He looked at the disk, then at the screen, and then back to the disk. _Gizmo said just slip it in. Is it really that easy? Maybe I should have taken a hacking class instead of those cooking classes back at H.I.V.E. _He shrugged again and finally slipped the disk into the CD drive off to the side. Immediately the computer came alive, random pieces of code flashing across the screen like flying bullets. Kyd Wykkyd merely watched, tilting his head slightly. _I guess it is that easy. On second thought, those cooking classes totally were worth it_. Eventually, the code ceased and the screen pinged with another message 'Access Approved. Welcome Back!' Kyd nodded. _Perfect._

His fingers flew across the keys, searching and disabling anything. First came the cameras, then the motion detectors, then the firearms, and lastly the shields. Quick, easy, and efficient, definitely something Cyborg would design. But there was still something else missing. _Found it!_ He thought before clicking. Another message. 'Activate Emergency Lockdown?' A simple click was all it took. 'Lock-down will begin in 15 minutes. 14:59, 14:58…'

This time when he grinned, the smile held all the malice he was capable of showing outwardly and his eyes glowed brightly in the dark, lit up with excitement. 15 minutes, more than enough time to finish the mission and have a laugh or two! _Sorry See-More, but there's no way I can pass up this chance. I haven't had this much fun in ages! _Despite the fact that he hated being called 'creepy', or 'spooky', Kyd Wykkyd had to admit, humans were incredibly easy to scare!

* * *

_ 'Step 2 complete, moving on to Step 3. Final assault underway. BTW, can a person become cryptic if they're emotionally scarred?'_

Gizmo blinked at the message once, twice, and then closed his communicator. "Weirdo," he muttered.

* * *

Thunder crashed like a bomb explosion, waking and startling Jinx who had just been drifting off to sleep after laying awake for over an hour. Next to her, Kid Flash slept soundly, the sheet falling past his chest and one arm wrapped protectively around her waist. In the dark, a light dinging noise alerted her that she wasn't the only one awake. Blinking the sleep away from her eyes, Jinx glanced up towards the front of the room to see Kyddie pawing furiously at the door. A loud Meow escaped his mouth. Sighing to herself, Jinx removed herself from her boyfriend's embrace, careful not to wake him, and lowered her feet to the floor. Kid Flash snored on. The sight made her chuckle slightly. He always had been a heavy sleeper.

Jinx walked over to the door where Kyddie sat waiting, looking up at her with large, hopeful eyes. "What's the matter, huh?" she asked, wiping her eye. The dark furred cat only looked at her before turning towards the door and pawing at it again, his intent clear. "Ok, I get it," she said back. Walking up to the door, she triggered the sensor. Kyddie merely scurried out, and, after some thought, Jinx followed. Just to make sure he didn't cause any trouble in the living room.

But once she walked outside and the door shut behind her, Jinx began to have second thoughts. The tower was a lot darker at night than she'd originally thought. There were no windows in this hallway so it was pitch black. Putting her hand against the wall, she trailed her hand along to keep herself steady. Farther up ahead, Kyddie ran further and further. The only reason she knew where he was the bell he wore rang softly, the sound growing dimmer as he ran farther away. "Kyddie, slow down!" she called to him in a loud whisper, eventually sprinting after him. He didn't stop until he'd reached the main living room door where he sat waiting. When she finally arrived, Jinx panted and looked down at him. His yellow eyes only looked at her as if he were asking what was taking him so long. She groaned inwardly. "You're lucky you're cute, you know?"

"Meow!" he said back, waving his tail.

Jinx sighed and opened the door. Luckily, it wasn't as dark as the hallways due to the main window. But the lightning flashing outside along with the rain pouring wasn't much of a comfort either. Kyddie didn't seem to mind and dashed into the room excitedly which puzzled Jinx. The cat only went around peeking into corners as if looking for something, yet she didn't see anything in the least that he would want in here. _Maybe looking for some food or his litter box, _she thought_. _Walking up to the main window, she peered outside at nothing in particular. _Are they really out there right now?_ She asked herself, placing her palm against the cold glass. It seemed that no matter what she did, the H.I.V.E. was always on her mind, even before she'd heard the news that they'd escaped. Jinx had figured it out by now that it was mainly guilt for betraying them but…

Before she could finish the thought, she glanced up to see look at her reflection in the glass, only to realize there was someone else right behind her. Swirling on her heel, she turned around to see…no one, to her confusion. Taking a few steps forward, Jinx blinked and looked about but nothing stood out. She scrunched her eyes. _I must be getting paranoid, _she thought… just a burst of air brushed her neck from behind. She nearly jumped this time when she turned around but only saw the window that she'd previously been looking out of.

"I really must be losing my mind now," Jinx muttered to herself. "I need to get some sleep. Kyddie?" She called out looking around until she found the cat in question. He rolled around playing with something he'd found on the floor. "Come here, playtime is over!" she said playfully, picking him up. It was then that she realized he was playing with a piece of paper. _When did that get there_, she wondered. Picking it up, she noticed a message scrawled on one side lit up as the lightning flashed angrily. The note had only three words:

_I See You_

A chill ran down her spine. "Ok, that's it, you've got me! Whoever is pulling this prank, it's over and done. I'm sure this was really amusing but I'm not in the mood for this. Come on out!" Jinx called into the dark. No one answered but the thunder. "I'm serious! If you think I'm joking you better- AAGH!" she cried out, clutching the side of her face in shock, her other hand on her heart. She only stood there for a second, stunned as she fought to catch her breath. It was like a hand had reached out from behind and stroked her face!

"B-Beast Boy, is that you?" She asked, her voice beginning to shake with fear. Inwardly, she kicked herself for sounding so startled. Jinx had never let herself become vulnerable before; she always managed to remain calm and collected, no matter what the situation, and now here she was shaking like a leaf. _Get a hold of yourself! _she demanded. However, not even her own words of encouragement could prepare her for what came next. As she turned to pick up the little black cat who had remained sitting there simply watching her, something pushed her from behind, causing her to trip over her own feet and topple to the ground. Quickly, she scrambled to get to her feet, picking up the cat next to her, and turned to find the door. Instead, her path was blocked as she found herself starring into two red eyes only a few mere inches from her face. Her own eyes widened. This time, she couldn't contain the loud scream that escaped her lips. He reached out and grabbed hold of her arm before she could escape avoiding the hex blast she sent his way. His other hand covered her mouth, preventing her from making any other sound.

She must have fainted shortly afterwards because the last thing Jinx saw was the living room disappearing in front of her very eyes just before she was enveloped in darkness completely.

* * *

A loud scream is what it took to wake Kid Flash from his deep sleep. For a moment, everything was disoriented from waking so suddenly, but he snapped back to his senses when he felt the cold imprint next to him. Imprint, as in Jinx wasn't there, cold meaning she'd been gone for a while. Pulling himself up, Kid Flash grabbed his shoes and made a dash for the living room, running faster than he'd ever run before. He paid no attention to his surroundings, or the shouts of the other Titans as they too arose from their own beds. All he could hear was his own voice inside his head chanting over and over again. _Jinx, Please be OK, Please be OK, Please be OK! _

In no time at all, he found himself in the main living room, and after switching on the lights, searching for any sign of her but sadly found the place empty. _Alright, don't panic,_ he commanded himself, but found his pulse speeding up anyway. Right on schedule, the rest of the Titans arrived, all pumped up and ready for battle.

"Who screamed?" Robin asked with urgency.

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it was Jinx. When I woke up, she wasn't in her room!" Kid Flash explained.

"I hope she is alright. Perhaps she had a case of the walking in her sleep?" Starfire inquired.

"I doubt it. That's never been a problem in the past."

"Dude, anyone seen Raven?" Beast Boy asked.

But before anyone could answer, a loud alarm interrupted their conversation dead in its tracks. An electronic voice blared out "_Lock-down initiated" _and almost immediately after, the door began to seal itself up, dark sheets of metal began to cover the windows and the lights flickered to low power, leaving the team in dim lights. Confused and flustered, the Titans all looked at the Cyborg, the technical genius. What he said didn't surprise them at all, only confirmed their suspicions.

"That's the security system's emergency lock-down. It closes everything up so nothing gets in or out," he said without any hesitancy.

"Why would it activate now?" Robin asked though he already knew the answer, as did they all.

"Either someone's trying to get in, or someone's already in and hacked the system."

Off to the side, Kid Flash clenched his fist in frustration. _Jinx,_ he cried to himself, _I promised I'd keep you safe. I've failed you yet again. _

Outside, the rain fell even harder as though reflecting his inner turmoil. Would it ever let up?

* * *

**Hi everyone, hope you're enjoying this so far! Just want to start out with one thing: OMG I have people from the Philippines reading! Being half Filipino myself, I am honored! Much pride to you all!**

**In my opinion, this chapter was a little rushed and didn't have as much detail as I'd hoped. I think I may go back later and add a few things.  
**

**I decided to have some fun with Kyd Wykkyd here since he's one of my favorite characters! Since we normally never know what he's thinking, I wanted to dive into his thoughts and take a closer look at what must pass through his mind when he just stands there, like in the beginning of "Lightspeed" when they're robbing the museum. I must confess, I can be the same way at times. I start thinking about something and then suddenly I find myself on a completely different topic. Then when I ask my friends a question, they wonder where the heck it came from.**

**Next off, my friend who pushed me to write this story was curious and asked me, "Why did you choose Angel as the one to add to the team?" After I explained why, she felt satisfied with my reasoning. So, I decided to explain to any readers who are wondering as well. The main reason was because after Jinx left, I wanted to add a girl to the team to balance out the boys. At first it was going to be Cheshire, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn't fit. Everyone in the H.I.V.E. Five is unique, and Cheshire just didn't add anything different personality-wise, plus I didn't think she could relate to the group since she was never a H.I.V.E. student. So I watched "Deception" again, and I saw Angel! Since she never had a speaking role, I could write her character anyway I wanted. I later decided to make her opposite to Jinx, sort of like Raven and Starfire, which worked out rather well. I hope you guys come to enjoy her as much as I like writing about her!**

**Reviews, comments, and criticisms happily accepted, just no flames please!  
**


	8. Chapter 7: A Request?

**Chapter 7: A Request?**

"Once she wakes up, how about I talk to her?"

"Works for me."

"Fine. But I'd rather blast the Scuz-sniffer!"

"…"

"I guess. Just don't hurt her."

"Yee-haw, let's get this here party started!"

* * *

"It's no good, the system isn't taking my passwords," Cyborg conveyed. His arm buzzed a loud noise of rejection, confirming the predicament. "I'll have to hack into the mainframe and try to get through the back way. This could take a while though." The rest of the Titans didn't seem to mind. In the dim-lighted room, all the Titans paced back and forth, each consumed in their own situation.

"Robin calling Raven! Are you there? Raven, pick-up! RAVEN!" he called. After four attempts with no success, Robin, finally closed his communicator and sat himself down on the sofa, arms crossed and eyebrows scrunched. "She's not answering. Something must have happened to her."

Across from him, Starfire was busy hurling her starbolts at the metal walls, though they were barely making a dent in the tough surface. She switched to her eyes which hardly made a difference either. She blasted at the wall next to her, moved to the door, and then to the window, firing away until she too lay on the couch catching her breath.

"Give it a rest Star I built these walls to withstand bullets, missiles, and hurricanes. Once they close, nothing gets past them until they open up again," Cyborg said. "Only Raven would be able to get through with her powers."

"And now she's not here!" Beast Boy complained. Making his way over to the team leader, he took hold of Robin's cape and pulled it over his head. "Maybe we got hoodwinked by her. Get it, 'hood'-winked?" He laughed. Everyone else only gave him exasperated looks. Strangely enough, even Beast Boy stopped laughing shortly after and sighed. "She would have responded with a witty comeback by now," he muttered, his ears drooping slightly.

"Well, we'll have to find a way out of here without her. Cyborg, how long is this lock-down supposed to be?" Robin asked.

"It's supposed to last until sunrise unless I can get it open by then."

"And how long will that take?"

"Not sure. It's going to be at least an hour from what I can tell. Whoever hacked the computer did a really good job. But what's even more impressive was that they were able to get in without triggering the alarm in the first place."

"Hey everyone, I think you're forgetting someone!" Kid Flash chimed in. "Don't forget, I can vibrate my molecules through solid objects. I can get out of here in a snap!" he announced proudly, making his way over to one of the windows. "Watch and learn!"

At that moment, Cyborg turned and called out in alarm, "Wait, Flash don't- !"

_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAA APPP! "_AAAGH!" he screamed, falling backwards with steam wafting off his body. His face remained frozen in shock as a few sparks flew off his suit, his hair more spiked up than usual.

"I set up electric currents to run through the walls for extra protection. _Try_ and learn," Cyborg said, wagging an eyebrow at Kid Flash's charred body.

"Lesson taken," he replied, pushing his hair back into place. But soon after, he was back on his feet as though nothing had happened, pacing the floor, though his pacing resembled more of a sprint. "But if this security system of yours is supposed to be _sooo _impenetrable, then how the heck was our sneaky friend able to get in, let alone hack the computer and take out Raven?"

"Who knows? The dude definitely knew what he was doing. Probably wasn't your average cat burglar, that's for sure," Cyborg replied.

"Hm. Hey, speaking of which, where is the little fur ball? I haven't seen him since I fell asleep," Kid Flash inquired. "Starfire, did you happen to catch him along the way?"

"I did not. I have not seen Kyddie since the last time we were in here."

"I haven't seen him either. He's got to be around somewhere. Probably exploring the tower," Robin suggested. "By the way, what's with the spelling on his food bowl? That's a strange way of writing it."

"Oh that. Jinx said he's named after one of the members of the H.I.V.E. Five because they looked alike. I think his name was Kyd Wykkyd, spelled sort of like that."

Robin rubbed his chin in thought. "Kyd Wykkyd? Never heard of him."

"Yeah, well, he was around when you guys were taking care of business elsewhere, that time I was watching over the city. I even told him once that they should put a bell on him since he skulked around in the shadows so much and could tele-…"

Kid Flash stopped mid sentence, one hand raised, and mouth still open from where he'd left off. Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy looked at him questionably, all wondering why he'd stopped talking so suddenly. A few seconds went by before he finally stood up and ran over to the main computer in the front of the room, a serious look gracing his face. "Robin, can you pull up that picture that Bumble Bee sent today?"

Robin nodded, realizing he was on to something, and easily pulled up the photo of the H.I.V.E. members. Kid Flash scanned the occupants carefully, remembering each and every one of them with the exception of the winged girl in the back. But soon his eyes fell on the one he was looking for. "That's him," he said, pointing a finger at the student clad in black. "His specialty was teleportation. He was fast enough to block my path even at my top speed."

"That's him? Dude, he looks sort of like Batman, or maybe a male version of Raven," Beast Boy commented.

"Hey, I think I sat next to him in class once, but never really got to know the guy since he gave me the creeps," Cyborg added. "You really think he was the one who broke in and locked us all in here?"

As Kid Flash turned around to answer, his foot tapped something that had been lying on the floor, a round and shiny thing he hadn't bothered to notice before. Leaning over, he bent down and scooped up the shiny object by the red ribbon it dangled from, recognizing it immediately: the bell that Jinx had tied around Kyddie's neck. He nodded. "Oh yeah, I'm sure of it!" he muttered, fingers clenching around the bell to form a fist. _And now they've got Jinx!_

* * *

It wasn't long before Jinx came to again. She lay with her back on the floor, arms spread, and eyes towards the ceiling. The hard stone floor combined with drops of water from the ceiling was what it took, and after a few seconds she blinked awake, pulling herself off the floor. Rubbing her head, she shook the cobwebs from her eyes and focused on her surroundings. It took her a moment for her eyes adjust to the darkness, but soon she could see fairly clearly. Wherever she was, it definitely wasn't the most charming of places. The pale sorceress found herself tucked away between several boxes stacked sky high, cornering her on every side. _Some sort of warehouse, perhaps? _she wondered. Above her, the rain leaked in from the roof, leaving small puddles scattered about. All was silent except for the storm outside and the eerie sound of water dropping through cracks.

At first, Jinx considered wandering around to figure out how to escape until she came to the realization that there was no way out, at least by walking. Boxes surrounded her on every side, barring any sort of path she could have taken. The only way out was up, and the boxes didn't seem very stable. A single blast from her hex waves would send them tumbling down, which wouldn't be very good from where she was currently standing. In summation, she was trapped, completely and utterly stuck.

"Great," she whispered through clenched teeth, "just great! How the heck am I supposed to get out of here? All this moisture is soaking my night clothes."

"Always with the clothes, huh Jinx?" a voice called playfully.

"Who said that?!" Jinx yelled in surprise. Her eyes flew this way and that, searching for the source but could hardly see anything in the room. With only the light from the stars in the clearing sky, everything only appeared to be a tall shadow towering over her in each direction with little hope of finding the speaker. But then a light giggle caught her ear, alerting her to a group of boxes to her left, stacked slightly higher than the rest. There on the top box with the dim crescent moon behind them sat a very familiar face.

Jinx narrowed her eyes. "Oh, it's you," she mumbled dully.

"Long time no see!" Angel smiled, waving back at her.

"What do _you_ want?" Jinx spat.

"Must you be so suspicious? The Jinx I remember from H.I.V.E. never sounded so riled up, always calm and collected. Don't tell me becoming a super hero has finally gotten to you?" She asked sweetly.

Jinx felt a growl vibrate through her throat. That sickeningly sweet voice of hers was already getting on her nerves. She would have blasted her by now if it wasn't for the fact that those boxes Angel was sitting on would come crashing down on Jinx herself directly after. It was probably why she chose that spot in the first place.

"Quit changing the subject and answer my question! What the hell do you want from me so badly that you had to kidnap me for it? If this is about getting revenge, you're way out of your league! The minute you get down here, I'll pluck your feathers out one by one!"

"Temper, temper," Angel replied calmly, waving a finger at her, which only served to piss Jinx off even more. "Since you're so insistent, I'll tell you. We brought you here to talk."

"_We?"_ Jinx asked, raising an eyebrow. On cue, a figure directly behind Angel began to stir, taking a few steps forward into the light, his cape catching the night air. Kyd Wykkyd peered down at his former leader, giving her a wondering look while holding Kyddie in his arms. The cat purred happily, thrilled to finally be reunited with his proper master.

Jinx crossed her arms. "Oh, I see you brought your _boyfriend!_" she sneered. Angel bit her lip in annoyance, causing Jinx to smirk even more. That had always been a touchy subject with her.

"F-first of all, he's _not_ my boyfriend. Second of all, he isn't the only one who came along," she stumbled slightly, losing her cool a little.

Jinx only stared back at her, not at all ruffled by what she said, until a light shuffling nearby caught her attention. When she turned towards the noise however, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Surrounding her on every side was her former team. Gizmo, Mammoth, See-More, Billy Numerous, they were all there. And they didn't look very pleased in the least. Jinx had known she'd have to face them sooner or later, but had rather hoped it would be _later_ rather than _sooner_. Certainly not how the situation turned out. Nevertheless, Jinx stood her ground just in case they tried anything. Nobody could say that she went down without a fight. Thankfully though, none of them budged.

"Actually, we brought you here to ask for a little favor," Angel continued, "and seeing as you're in no position to refuse us, I suggest you listen up!"

"Humph, fine, and just what would the little goody two shoes want from me?" Jinx asked, earning her another annoyed look from the girl.

"We want you to support us. Or rather, convince the Teen Titans to let us join them," she replied with another smile.

If there was any response that Jinx had been expecting, this would have been the last one on the list. She remained silent, her mouth open in shock. For a second, she was sure she'd misheard. They wanted to _what?_

"You heard me. We want to join the Teen Titans."

Jinx only continued to stare dumbfounded. They really wanted her to help them join? The idea itself sounded ludicrous. She couldn't really see any of them as heroes since she'd seen them as villains for so long before. But then again, she'd never really seen herself as anything but a criminal until she met Kid Flash who showed her otherwise. Plus, were they even telling the truth? The very first few lessons at the academy had all been on how to con people. They could easily be fooling her now. Yes, there had to be a catch!

Jinx shook her head, snapping her out of her stupor. "And exactly why would you guys want to switch sides so suddenly?" she asked.

"Well, with the Brotherhood of Evil now vanquished at the moment as well as the Teen Titans all coming together, life as a criminal doesn't look very bright. Since we can't exactly go back to a 'normal' life, we might as well put our powers to good use."

"Uh-huh, right," Jinx answered sarcastically, not at all convinced. "And just what makes you think I'm going to appeal to the Titans for you guys? You did just kidnap me in the middle of the night."

"Either that or ya can stay here 'til the cattle come home! Them Titans ain't gonna be comin' for a while." Billy laughed, slapping his leg.

"Yeah right, there's no way I'm helping you guys! You're all just a bunch of-"

"A bunch of what, Jinx? Or have you forgotten who you are?" Angel asked sternly, any trace of humor gone. "If I remember correctly, you were a criminal yourself not so long ago. At the academy, you used us all for your own gains then you turned your back on your own team when things started to go awry. Some hero you are."

"It's not like that!" Jinx snapped. She was starting to get frustrated. "The team refused to listen to me, so-"

"So what you're saying is, it's not your fault, it's the team's fault for not listening to you. Isn't it a leader's duty to do what is right for the majority of the group?"

"Quit twisting my words around! I left because I discovered that there was more to what I could do besides causing trouble. I realized just because my powers caused bad luck didn't mean it had to be used to hurt other people. I could do better!"

"We just weren't good enough for you. You have to be above everyone else, just like back in the academy. You really haven't changed, have you Jinx?"

"STOP IT!" she screamed, covering her ears.

"Jinx…" See-More muttered, taking a few steps closer to her. Mammoth grabbed hold of his arm however, keeping him from advancing any further.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it? Now you know just what kind of person you are. You use everyone around you, hurt them, manipulate them into following you, but when things go wrong or if something doesn't go your way, you turn your back on them, just like you did with these five. And then, when someone calls you out on it, you start making excuses for why you're not to blame. Who's the real villain here, huh?" Angel asked coolly, looking down at the girl now kneeling on the ground.

"No, I'm not…" Jinx attempted to argue, but just couldn't find the strength in herself to do so.

* * *

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Ugh, what's taking you so long Cyborg?" Kid Flash asked impatiently.

"Man, will you relax? I'm working as fast as I can," Cyborg agitatedly said.

"Relax?! My girlfriend has just been captured by her former team, and you're telling me to relax?" Kid Flash declared dramatically.

"Dude, will you sit down? You're wearing a hole into the carpet!"

"Sorry sorry!" he said before finally taking a seat on the sofa where the remaining three Titans sat waiting. Kid Flash was in deep turmoil. He couldn't stop thinking about all the horrible things that they could be doing to Jinx right now! Sure, he'd found them fairly easy to beat before, and it's not that he didn't believe Jinx couldn't handle herself, but he feared how she'd react to their assault. Would she refuse to attack them since they were once on her side? No, she'd attacked them before, when they'd been fighting the Brotherhood of Evil. And plus, she'd taken them by surprise. Kid Flash had no doubt in his mind that they were the type of guys who would come looking for revenge. After all, that's what bad guys did right?

"So, anyone want to hear a joke?" Beast Boy asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Not now BB, maybe later," Kid Flash responded, waving him off.

"To ease the feeling of deep concern, I suggest a special Tamaranian dish suited to ease the churning in one's lower stomach," Starfire declared happily, levitating over to the fridge. Beast Boy in turn, looked terrified.

"Dude, the last time I tried one of Star's recipes, I couldn't pass anything for three days," he whispered with a light shudder. Kid Flash frowned.

Starfire emerged holding a large bowl filled to the brim with some light blue and purple mixture covered in plastic. The concoction gurgled and bubbled beneath the plastic, making a light _glorp_ sound. Just the sight of it had Kid Flash's stomach twisting in knots. He'd eaten all sorts of foods all over the world from seafood to pig intestines, some foods that left more than a few people looking green around the gills. But for once in his life, he wasn't hungry. "Here, try!" She offered, holding out a large ladle of the stuff.

"Uh, that's alright Starfire, but I already ate dinner and I'd rather not lose it, thanks," he replied. Thankfully, Starfire either didn't notice the insult, or chose to ignore it. _Whew, dodged a bullet there!_

"Robin, a taste?" she asked politely, holding the ladle out to her boyfriend who was beginning to look a little green himself.

"Uh, I think I'm going to try contacting Raven again, see if she picks up!" He said quickly while simultaneously whipping out his communicator. "Robin calling Raven, do you copy?"

"…_Raven here, over."_

At the sound of her voice, the Titans all jumped and gathered around Robin, obviously thrilled to hear her respond. "Raven, are you alright?" Starfire asked anxiously.

"_Yeah, I'm fine, just a little groggy is all."_

"What happened?"

"_I had an unexpected guest come and visit me in the night. They injected me with some sort of anesthesia that knocked me out for a little bit, but my body was able to fight off most of it. Where are all of you?"_

"We're trapped in the living room. The intruder was able to hack the system and start the emergency lock-down. Cyborg's working on undoing it, but we may need your help getting out," Robin explained.

_"Understood. I'll get there as soon as I can, but I'll need a minute to let the stuff wear off completely."_

"Good. Robin out!" With that, he shut his communicator. "And once we escape, we can start tracking down Jinx."

* * *

"So, how does it feel to finally understand just how cruel you are? You may believe you're some sort of saint now that you're a titan, but deep down, you're just as bad as the rest of us!" Angel taunted.

By this time, Jinx was on her hands and knees, her head bowed low, starring at the cold stone floor. With those last revelations, all of her insecurities and fears had been brought to light, breaking her down. All at once her past came flying back to her ever starting from the day she began attending the academy. Every lie, every command, every statement she'd ever made rang through her ears, reminding her of all the horrible things she'd tried to bury after joining the Teen Titans. Angel's words hurt so much because of how true they were. No matter how hard she'd tried, Jinx would never be able to eradicate the past. It would forever be a part of her.

At that moment, all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die right then and there. In one last attempt to pick up the pieces of her pride and confidence, Jinx struggled to think of the one who was always the brightest light when things were dark. She imagined Wally, _her_ Wally, standing in front of her, giving her that confident smile that always made her blush, speaking words of comfort whenever she felt low. _Everyone has done some things that they regret._ _But it doesn't matter now. What does matter is who you choose to be right here and now in the present, _he'd said.

Jinx's eyes widened at the thought. Yes, she wasn't that person anymore. Kid Flash had accepted her despite being enemies, and hadn't given up on her no matter how many times she'd rejected him initially. Just because she'd done those things in the past, didn't mean she couldn't make up for them in the future. With renewed strength, she picked herself off the floor, though she kept her head bowed.

"So, you're still going strong. How admirable of you or rather how stubborn of you."

"Angel, I'm sorry…" Jinx whispered.

"Beg your pardon?"

"I said I'm sorry!" she said with more fervor this time. Slowly, she raised her head up for them to see the few tears that had escaped her eyes. All of them were taken aback at the sight. "You're right, I admit I treated you all very poorly, and for that I'm sorry. But you're wrong when you said I haven't changed." She took a few steps forward. When they didn't react, she assumed it was alright to continue. "I learned I could use my power to help people instead of hurting them. Good is an option for me and for you all too. So if you really do want to join the Titans, I promise I'll help you."

The former H.I.V.E. students looked at each other in confusion as though neither of them were expecting that reaction from her. From the dim moonlight they appeared to be secretly discussing something amongst themselves without really speaking to each other. Gizmo and Mammoth gave off exasperated looks while See-More looked hopeful. Billy shrugged his shoulders and looked at Kyd Wykkyd who looked at Angel as though he was awaiting a decision from her. Angel was the only one who still looked suspicious, and frankly Jinx didn't blame her. They'd pretty much considered each other rivals back in the academy. While Angel was good at charming the teachers, Jinx had done things her own way and chose to control the crowd. Now here they were on opposite sides once again, with the option of becoming allies. Technically, they'd appealed to her, but Jinx doubted they believed that she'd actually agree to help. Would they really accept her assistance?

Finally, they appeared to have come to a decision, each nodding to the others in consent. Angel leaped off the boxes she'd been sitting on, gracefully landing on her feet in front of Jinx. They stared at each other for a few minutes, Jinx trying her best to appear sincere while Angel's doubt radiated off of her. "You promise you'll help us? We were villains you know?"

Jinx nodded. "I know, but so was I. Everyone deserves a second chance. But I'll only help if you promise to behave yourselves," she replied, feeling a piece of her old self returning.

Angel nodded in return before extending her hand out to Jinx, who took hers without any hesitation. Her wings expanded and with one swoop, lifted them both into the air, where she flew over to the waiting group of boys. Once they'd landed, all six looked at Jinx expectantly though they still couldn't completely disguise the doubt they all shared in their hearts. It was a bit awkward to say least. Jinx gave them a slight smile to ease the tension. "Come on, let's get out of here. This place is getting really stuffy and gross. I'm sure you're all exhausted," she said, making her way towards the exit. The others followed.

_All according to plan_, the six smiled secretly.

* * *

**Hey guys, it's me again! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I enjoyed writing it. Lots of dialogue is fun to write!**

**School is starting up soon, which mean I may not update quite as often, but trust me, I'm not giving up on this story anytime soon. After this many chapters, the plot is finally starting to go somewhere. Sorry if it took so long, I needed time to get the H.I.V.E. students back home. Now here they are, and they're joining the Titans! Curious to see how it turns out? Then you'll just have to stick around. **

**Reviews, comments, and criticisms accepted just no flames please! I tend to update faster when I know someone is actually reading, and reviews are the best way to show that you are!**


	9. Chapter 8: Awake and Alive

**Chapter 8: Awake and Alive**

"We're almost there, about three more miles left to go!" Cyborg relayed.

After Raven had regained control of her powers, the anesthesia finally wearing off, she'd easily rescued her trapped teammates, just in time for Cyborg to deactivate the Tower's lockdown. In spite of Kid Flash's insistence that they look for Jinx right there and then, the rest of the Titans all agreed that it was best to check out the Tower first, just to make sure nothing of importance had been taken or perhaps a trap laid out somewhere. But to everyone's surprise, nothing else seemed to be damaged or ransacked. The evidence room was untouched as well as their own personal stash of valuables. Kid Flash was the only one that remained unfazed. He'd known all along that the H.I.V.E. members had come for Jinx and nothing else (well, OK maybe he guessed). After waiting 10 whole minutes for them to finish the "quick" scan of the tower, they'd finally relented and had tracked down Jinx in no time at all. Based off the signal of her communicator, the group pinpointed her in an area located about ten miles outside of the city. According to Cyborg, that particular area just happened to be land owned by a manufacturing company that shut down years ago after it went out of business. It was dark, remote, and out of the way, the perfect place to hold a person prisoner without drawing any suspicion. With Robin on his R-cycle and Cyborg in the T-car, the Teen Titans raced to the spot as fast as they could (though technically, Kid Flash could have outrun them all, but Robin insisted they stay together, to his dismay).

Forced to run alongside them, the journey felt like hours to the young hero, though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes at which he was moving at. Still, he couldn't be blamed in his opinion. When it came to hurting his girl, Kid Flash was never going fast enough, even if he was running top speed. Every quarter of a second lost could be all the difference it takes between life and death. Not that he was afraid of the H.I.V.E. Five actually killing Jinx, they were too chicken to do something like that, but it didn't mean they wouldn't hurt her. Kid Flash gritted his teeth. If they hurt even one hair on her head-

"There it is!" he heard Cyborg announce. Over the horizon loomed a large building, some kind of warehouse, from what he could tell. The place couldn't have been more than two stories high, but with the large gaping entrances for trucks to enter, the place towered over them. All of the windows appeared to be boarded up or broken and the walls covered with cracks, the paint having worn away a while back. Just as Cyborg said before, it was dark, damp, and remote, the perfect hideaway for any bad guy. The Titans approached the building cautiously, all on the lookout for anything suspicious. Thankfully, nothing appeared out of the ordinary except for the creepy landscape. Cyborg switched on the flashlight built into his shoulder to give them all some light.

"Dude, Raven, I think you found your dream home," Beast Boy commented, earning him a glare from the normally stoic girl.

"And I'm sure there's a nice, comfy cage around too," Raven replied. Beast Boy responded with a gulp and cold sweat. Starfire giggled behind her palm.

"Hold on a minute team!" Robin commanded, whipping out a birdarang. The others followed his gaze to the entrance of the building where an unidentifiable silhouette began to emerge from out of the shadows. Following his lead, Cyborg activated his sonic cannon, holding it steady, while Raven and Starfire's hands glowed with energy. Beast Boy and Kid Flash stood their ground, prepared for anything that may come. The figure walked slowly towards them without even raising an arm in defense, until the person finally stepped into the edge of the light, revealing themself.

"Jinx!" Kid Flash burst out in happiness while the others lowered their arms in relief. "Are you alright?"

"Wal- uh, Kid Flash! Listen, there's something I need to- Agh!" she cried out in surprise when he suddenly scooped her up into his arms.

"You're not hurt are you?! Did you break an arm? Scrape a knee? Stub a toe?"

"I'm fine Kid Flash, please put me down!" she pushed until he finally complied.

"How did you escape?" Robin asked. "I'm not saying you can't take care of yourself, but there's not a single scratch on you."

"Well, that's the thing I wanted to discuss with you, with all of you actually," she said with a slight shake in her voice. Absentmindedly, she began rubbing her forearm, a habit that Kid Flash learned long ago was a sign of anxiety. All eyes looked at her questioningly. "I sort of, well, you see…" she started before another sound interrupted. Behind her, the rest of the H.I.V.E. students seemingly appeared out of nowhere, right on her tail. The Titans gasped in surprise, before preparing for battle once more. Surprisingly enough, the students didn't do the same.

"Aha!" Faster than anyone could comprehend, Kid Flash dashed over to Kyd Wykkyd and grabbed him by the front of his cape, pulling the startled teen forward. "You! What'd you do to Jinx huh? Answer me!" he yelled. Kyd Wykkyd only blinked at him. "Not talking eh? I'm warning you, you mess with Jinx, you mess with me!" he growled, shaking the other boy vigorously.

"Hey, let him go!" he heard the winged girl call out.

"Kid Flash, don't hurt him!" Jinx said, slightly alarmed.

Kid Flash froze. "_Me _not hurt _him?_ Jinx, are sure you're OK, they might have- Ow!" he screamed, sticking his finger into his mouth. In his haste, Kid Flash had failed to see the little black cat that had been sleeping in Kyd Wykkyd's arms until he was suddenly shaken awake.

"I think I'm missing something here," Robin stepped forward.

"So, exactly why aren't we allowed to beat up the bad guys?" Beast Boy asked, motioning to the former students.

"Because they aren't bad guys anymore. They want to join the Teen Titans," Jinx explained.

For a second, the Titans were stunned into silence as if she'd said the most unbelievable thing in the world. All stared unmoving with their jaws slack and eyes wide, while Jinx continued to rub her arm and turn her eyes away. Kid Flash continued to frown at the rest of the H.I.V.E. members, who only looked at each other for guidance, though nobody knew what to say.

"Seriously?" Cyborg finally asked, breaking the tension slightly.

"Yes, well, what Jinx means to say is, we've decided that a life of crime is not exactly the best option right now, and we wish to…redeem ourselves for our past actions and join the Teen Titans," one of them, the female of the group, elaborated.

"Uh-huh, and who're you?" Kid Flash asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, right, sorry!" she stammered. "I'm Angel. In case you haven't met all the others, this is Mammoth, Gizmo, Billy Numerous, See-More and Kyd Wykkyd. We're all from the H.I.V.E. academy, or at least we were."

"Oh yes, I believe we've met before," Raven muttered threateningly, giving Kyd Wykkyd a dark look. He returned it with just as much vigor.

"So you guys think you can just waltz in here and expect us to forgive you just like that?! Not happening!" Cyborg responded heatedly.

"You have all caused much trouble and grief in our city. Many people have been injured or worse!" Starfire followed.

"Dude, I think I've wasted most of my life fighting you guys! You just never want to quit."

"So why don't you guys just go back to where all you bad guys came from and do us all a favor!"

"I can't think of any place left for us to go since our academy did get blown up by a certain someone," Mammoth growled.

"Yeah, as if I'm gonna let a school for bad guys remain standing!" Cyborg countered.

"The way I see it, you owe us!" See-More argued back. "That academy was home for a large number of us!"

"Guys, stop!" Jinx attempted to break it up with little success.

"I don't owe you guys anything! Nobody forced you to become criminals it was your own decision! Robin, back me up here! Robin!"

At the sound of his name, all eyes turned to the boy wonder, who had remained silent the entire time. He had one arm crossed under his chest while the other one rested under his chin, the look implying that he was deep in thought. While the H.I.V.E. students appeared perplexed, the Titans knew exactly what that look meant.

"Robin, you can't seriously be considering-" Cyborg started before getting cut off by the teen in question when he took hold of his arm.

"We need to discuss this. Titans, huddle!" he called out, causing the others to gather into a small group away from the former students.

"Dude, what're you thinking?"

"I'm thinking maybe we should give them a shot. They do have a point, we did destroy their school multiple times," Robin explained.

"But Robin, they are evil. They attempted to destroy us."

"Yeah man. We don't even know if they're telling the truth and you want to make them honorary titans?"

"I'm not saying that we should make them titans just yet, only that we shouldn't shut down the idea right away. If they are sincere and really wish to give up on crime, it'll save us the time and effort of keeping them out of trouble like in the past."

"But as Starfire said, they were villains once which means we can't trust them so easily," Raven pointed out.

"I was a villain too you know," Jinx stated. "And I changed _my _ways."

"True, Jinx did save me from Madame Rouge," Kid Flash commented.

"But Jinx _proved_ that she was willing to be a hero. These guys haven't done squat."

"So you think we should give them a little test?" Beast Boy suggested.

Robin nodded. "That's exactly what I'm thinking. Let's see just how badly they want to be Titans with a little bit of training."

"Come on man, you've got to be joking! Listen, I went to school with these guys, and I'm telling ya, you can't trust them."

"Cyborg, I thought you might enjoy this. After all, this could be your chance to get a little _payback_," Robin raised his eyebrow suggestively.

Slowly, Cyborg's mouth went from a frown to a sly smile. Already, he'd formulated an idea in his head of exactly what he wanted to do, causing Jinx to feel some concern.

"Maybe I should take care of them since I know them best."

"No, Cyborg is in charge. Jinx, you can help him out, but he's going to be calling the shots. I know they were your teammates, but we can't take any chances." Robin said before turning back to the H.I.V.E. students who looked at them expectantly. "Alright, we're considering your offer at the moment. If you really want to join the Teen Titans, you're going to have to win our trust and prove that you have what it takes. Starting tonight, you'll be under Cyborg's command. You follow everything he says, understood?"

"What? We have to follow _that_ tin can?" Gizmo objected, pointing a finger in his direction.

"It's my way or the highway, got it Pipsqueak?" Cyborg asked.

"Forget it! I'm not following you even if you paid me. I'm out!" Gizmo yelled before stopping off in some unknown direction.

Jinx sighed to herself. _That didn't last long, _she thought.

Cyborg only shrugged and looked back at the rest of the group. "Anyone else got a problem?" They shook their heads in response. "Good. Get ready because training starts first thing tomorrow!"

* * *

"This is the pits! I haven't felt this bad since my grandpappy made me watch the pigs all night long!"

"Tell me about it man!" See-More complained. _At least things couldn't get any worse,_ he thought before turning over into a puddle. _I stand corrected, _he said inwardly. Attempting to pick himself off the cold cement floor, he pulled himself to his feet, only to have his head connect with a metal pipe jutting out of the wall, knocking him back down. _That wouldn't have hurt as bad if I'd been wearing my helmet, _he lamented inwardly, rubbing the sore spot. He was missing his helmet already and it had only been half an hour at most.

After the initial confrontation and agreement with the Titans, they'd led the former students back to the tower, all the while watching them carefully for anything suspicious, not that he blamed them. Jinx had walked alongside them which had been comforting. But once they'd arrived at the tower however, Cyborg had confiscated any sort of weapon or armor for "safety reasons" as he'd called them. And by any, he meant _any_. Angel was forced to give up her helmet and arm bracelets, while Kyd Wykkyd was stripped of his cowl and cape. See-More himself had had his own helmet taken away, despite his protests that he couldn't see a thing without it. In fact, this only seemed to encourage the metal man. And he didn't stop there. In a matter of minutes, Cyborg had put together a couple of devices from "spare parts" and attached them to every single one of them to subdue the group. See-More supposed he should consider himself lucky that he only had a small tracking device on himself. With Kyd Wykkyd's cape and his helmet gone, the two boys weren't considered much of a threat in their current state and had been outfitted with tracking devices that encircled their wrists like a watch. Unfortunately, the others hadn't been so lucky. As well as tracking devices, Mammoth had huge weights attached to his arms, keeping his strength in check, Billy wore a collar that sent electric shocks throughout his body if he even tried to duplicate himself, and Angel wore a metal clamp that kept her wings folded down, preventing her from enlarging them. After they'd been thoroughly searched, salvaged, and subdued Cyborg deemed them acceptable and left them to sleep locked up in the basement. So here he was, blind as a bat, shivering his butt off, and completely vulnerable. The perfect word, in See-More's opinion, would be pathetic. Completely, utterly, undeniably pathetic.

Thankfully, See-More had developed pretty good hearing due to the few times he'd been without his helmet in the past. In the dark, he could hear the others shuffle about, as well as a few grunts and clunks as they tried their best to get comfortable. A chain rattled farther off before settling down for good, alerting him that Mammoth had finally fallen asleep, probably on his back. Billy had fallen asleep as well, his light snoring echoing in the cavernous room. A dull clanking followed afterwards, probably Angel trying to find a good position to lie down, though it would be difficult considering the large metal ring around her chest and back. With nothing left to do, See-More tried to fall asleep too, but found it impossible. His body was tired, yet his mind was not.

_What am I doing here? Do I really want to go through with this plan? Gizmo already took off, is he going to give us away? What do they plan on doing to us? _he thought frantically. No matter how hard he tried to relax, See-More couldn't get these thoughts out of his head. Every second could be another moment where the Titans could discover their plan and throw them in prison once more, a place he'd rather not go back to. He gone six straight months without being thrown in jail and he preferred to keep it that way. Although, he wondered whether being frozen in the Brotherhood's base counted as being put into prison. _Then again, we can't be any worse off than we are now, _See-More thought glumly before rolling over onto his stomach after his back had gotten cold. Feeling around, he searched for a wall, a box, anything he could use to pull himself up and lean his back on, something that wasn't as cold as the floor. Sadly, he felt nothing, only the flat cement. By now, all noise had ceased except for the light snores and the occasional drip from the leaky pipes. See-More sighed lightly, weighing his options. He could either let the others sleep uninterrupted and lie miserably on the floor the entire night, or wake one of them up and ask for assistance. But as he'd learned early on, waking a sleepy teenage villain had the equivalent outcome of poking a bear in the nose: getting your face mauled off, leaving neither of them better off.

_This really is the pits, _he cursed. No help, no friends, no mercy. _Great, just great_. Closing his eyes, See-More lay his head down, ear to the floor, and tried to get some sleep. It still wasn't working out so well though. He shifted his head slightly, but still no success. He tried flipping over onto his back again, which only seemed to make things worse. Maybe this was fate's way of making fun of him for all the crap he did in the past. Blinking at the ceiling, he lifted his head and banged it on the floor in frustration. Life seriously hated him. Eventually, his head became sore from the impacts and he simply lay there staring at the foggy nothingness as he'd done before. It was then that he noticed the light footsteps coming towards him, so soft he may have failed to hear them had he not fine-tuned his hearing to accompany near-blindness. See-More smiled slightly, recognizing the sound in an instant. Only one person he knew walked that quietly. The sounds stopped a few inches next to him until he felt two hands grab hold of his arms and pull him up, helping him to his feet. Maybe he wasn't so alone after all.

"Thanks Kyd, I owe ya one buddy," he whispered. Though he couldn't see his face, See-More felt his friend nod in response as he slung his arm over his shoulder. Kyd Wykkyd walked them over to the other side of the basement, eventually stopping in front of some structure, See-More couldn't tell what, and laid him down against it, propping him up before taking a seat next to him. For a little while, the two boys just sat there in silence, enjoying each other's company, something they hadn't been able to do in a while since there had always been something or someone else around. Over the years at the academy, the two had formed a sort of brotherly bond as well as one of friendship. Perhaps it was sympathy for each other's disabilities that had brought them together. _"I'm blind and you're dumb. What a pair we make!" _he remembered saying the day they'd first met. He'd immediately burst into laughter after seeing the look on Wykkyd's face at the comment. _I prefer the term 'mute,'_ Kyd Wykkyd had written down afterwards in slight irritation. Ah, the good old days!

"So, you holding up ok?" he asked softly with an upturned palm. Kyd Wykkyd tapped his hand three times. _So-so. _See-More nodded. "I hear ya man! Well, you know what I mean."

A single tap this time. _Yes. _In response to their disabilities, the two friends had been aware that a time might arise where they'd be unable to communicate normally through writing or facial expressions. As a result, they'd created a sort of code that involved light taps of his fingers into See-More's palm to allow Kyd Wykkyd to speak. One tap meant "yes", two taps was "no", three was "in-between," "maybe," or "undecided", etc.

"About this plan, do you think it'll work?"

Three taps. _Maybe, maybe not._

"Yeah, I'm not sure about it either. At least the academy didn't keep us in these conditions. I think I'm starting to miss it."

One tap to the palm followed, as well as folding down two fingers. _Yes, me too._

See-More nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath. "And as crazy as it sounds, I'm starting to miss my folks, no matter how bad they were to me. I know they conducted those experiments on me and all, but…there were times that they showed affection too, ya know?"

There was no response this time. But then again, he didn't need a response to know what was probably going through his friend's mind at the moment. "You miss your family too, don't you?"

One tap, followed by a squeeze on the wrist. _Yes, very much so. _

"You think they'd be happy to see what we've become now?" See-More asked next, but before he could elaborate on the question however, he felt his fingers being folded down into a fist, his thumb placed on top. _Change the subject. _He held his tongue.

"Right," he answered in reply. "So, are you and Angel on better terms now? That is, do you believe her story about getting captured by the Brotherhood?" he asked tentatively. In all honesty, he had been dying to know how things were between the Angel and KydWykkyd since they'd always been such close friends before, and it was weird to see them so hesitant around the other. He knew they had reconciled somewhat, and had started to act normally when amongst the group. But as far as he could tell, the two teens still gave each other the cold shoulder during any "conversation" alone, as though waiting for one of them to admit fault, but both too prideful to do so.

Unfortunately, all he got in response was three taps. _Undecided. _Inwardly, he groaned in frustration.

"Are you guys ever going to make up completely?!" he whispered, allowing a little bit of his frustration leak into his voice.

Three taps. _Undecided._

"Ugh, never mind, I'm going to sleep!" He said, raising his arms in defeat. He turned over to his side, laying his against the solid slab supporting him before closing his eyes. Behind him, See-More heard the silent alien shuffle, probably following his lead in response. He'd forgotten how impossible his friend could be when it came to social situations. _No wonder some people find him difficult to deal with_, See-More thought. With the secret conversation over, the room grew quiet once more with the occasional noises. But try as he might, See-More couldn't keep his curiosity from asking one more question. "Do you still have that crush on her, like you did back in the H.I.V.E. academy?"

The only response he got was the sound of even breathing, signaling to him that Kyd Wykkyd had already dozed off, exhausted from everything the group had gone through up to this point. He didn't blame him. It was going to be a tough day tomorrow, what with Cyborg taking charge. See-More couldn't suppress the shudder down his spine. If this was what they'd have to sleep through, he didn't want to know what they'd have to go through when awake. And though he didn't know what time it was, he was sure that the sun would be rising very soon. Oh well, a little sleep was better than no sleep at all, he rationalized, sleep finally catching up to him at long last. But just as he was about to fall asleep himself, he felt a touch to his hand. One, not two or three, one.

_Yes._

* * *

**Chapter 8 is finally up! Sorry if it took me so long to post, school has been killing me lately! Anyway, I hope everything is going well for you guys, much thanks to everyone who stayed with me! **

**This chapter is a bit of a filler, but I hope you all enjoy it all the same. I'll probably be back around to edit it, but at the moment, I'm so exhausted. God bless the person who invented holidays, yay to three day weekends! Other than that, not much else to say except don't give up on me just yet!  
**

**Reviews and criticisms are greatly appreciated! I post much sooner whenever I know someone is reading my work, and leaving reviews is the best way to let me know!  
**


	10. Chapter 9: I'll Make a Titan Out of You!

**Chapter 9: I'll Make a Titan Out of You!**

The five former students were all sleeping soundly when Cyborg found them early the next morning. Mammoth and Numerous lay on the floor, both snoring louder than anyone he'd ever met (then again, he'd never heard himself snore before). Angel had found a small box to lie against and prop her head up on to avoid lying on the ring around her wings. See-More and Kyd Wykkyd were both upright against a large crate, both turned away from one another. Like this, they looked so peaceful, resembling a bunch of children worn out from a day of playing outside instead of the group of vigilantes that they really were. Then again, that wasn't enough to stop the metal man from getting a little bit of revenge.

Rubbing his hands together, Cyborg smiled slyly at the slumbering teens before making his way down the basement stairs carrying a large boom box. Setting it on the ground, he was about to turn it on when another idea hit him. An even more evil idea. He chuckled slightly to himself before running up the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could so as not to wake his victims. Halfway up the stairs however, his foot missed a step, dinging the rail on the side. He winced as the sound of metal-on-metal echoed throughout the spacious room and for a moment, he froze dead in his tracks. Luckily, the sound was not enough to wake the bunch, all too exhausted from all the excitement the night before. He released a breath then continued upwards treading more carefully this time.

After a few minutes, Cyborg returned, this time bearing a large speaker under his arm. Once back downstairs, he plugged the speaker into the wall, connected the boom box to the speaker, and amped up the volume as high as it would go. Last but not least, he pulled out a pair of earmuffs and placed them comfortably over his ears, ready for what was to come. Taking one last look at the group, he almost felt sorry for them. _Hm, maybe this is a little too mean, _he thought idly to himself. Then he remembered his time at the academy and the doubt was gone in a heartbeat. "This is for making me walk around in a tutu!" he whispered just before his finger hit the play button.

* * *

"AAAGGGH!" Mammoth screamed as he jumped out of his skin. Or rather he would have had he not been wearing the large weights strapped to his arms. A rather rude awakening had suddenly shaken him up in the form of a traditional military bugle call now blasting throughout the room.

"Who, what, where?!" Billy cried out, nearly duplicating himself on impulse, earning him a shock from the device on his neck. He fell backwards in a daze from the rather large zap of electricity. Next to him, Angel panted erratically while clutching her chest, obviously startled by the noise. See-More had jumped to his feet in shock, colliding with a wooden board sticking out of the crate he'd been laying on. He clutched his head and grunted before falling over onto Kyd Wykkyd who been trying to stand up, knocking them both to the floor in a heap. Billy would have laughed had his own head not been pounding from lack of sleep. Off to the side, Cyborg stood waiting, arms crossed, and eyes boring into them from far away. This time, Billy did chuckle. "Mornin' Bubba! What's with the fancy-pants sergeant's hat ya got perched atop yer head?" he asked.

"ALRIGHT, all of you get your butts over here and line up!" Cyborg demanded instead. At first, none of them budged. The only sign of activity was a brief flutter of the eyelashes as they struggled to rub the haze out of their eyes. Cyborg scowled, bending over to switch off the boom box. This wasn't going to be easy. "NOW!" he yelled. They lined up almost instantly. _That's better,_ he thought triumphantly. Making his way over to the bunch, his hands behind his back, Cyborg began pacing back and forth, scanning each and every one of them as he passed them. On the outside, he appeared to be sizing them up, giving them an intimidating look that sent sweat trickling down their necks.

On the inside however, his mind ran through his memories, fighting to remember exactly what he'd learned about each of them while in the academy. Some of them were easy, like Mammoth and Billy Numerous. Mammoth he'd faced dozens of times in battle, and it didn't take a genius to remember Billy's powers. But for the others, it took a little more time. Cyborg remembered taking a few classes with See-More, but hadn't really paid much attention to him. Sure they'd faced each other once during the mall robbery instance, but he'd been too preoccupied with dealing with Private Hive at the time. Kyd Wykkyd had sat next to him in a class but they'd never really spoken to each other (not that he ever could), and he hadn't dealt with Angel at all prior to now. Cyborg's human eye twitched slightly. He'd have to be sure to study them one at a time and get a feel for each one of their powers in case they ever became a threat like before, something that wouldn't surprise him if it ever did happen.

Clearing his throat, Cyborg stopped his pacing and turned to face them staring down at the group with the fiercest expression he could muster. "Alright then, now let's get down to business! From this moment on if you really want to become honorary titans, you do everything I say. Some rules for you: no talking unless spoken to, no questions until I say so, no misbehaving, no yelling, no complaining, and most important of all, no whining! Is that understood?!"

The group gulped audibly and nodded dumbly in response, already missing the academy. "Good. Any questions?!"

"Uh, I've got one." See-More muttered, his hand trembling slightly as he held it over his head. Cyborg looked at him expectantly. "When can I get my helmet back?"

"You get your stuff back and your extra baggage removed when I deem you ready! Any more questions?"

"What da we look like, a round'o bucking broncos?! Ya can't keep these thingies on-"

"Do I hear someone whining? I specifically recall saying no whining! Keep it up and it's gonna cost ya," Cyborg warned, following up with a look that could melt the ice caps.

"Nope," Billy responded quickly with an audible gulp.

"Anybody else got something to say?" he asked once more. When none of them responded, Cyborg nodded and about-faced. "Good. Follow me."

The five followed him grudgingly up the stairs, Kyd Wykkyd guiding See-More to keep him from tripping, and out of the basement all the while wondering what he had planned for them, though none of them really wanted to know. Walking through the hallways, it appeared as though the other Titans had just awoken themselves. Robin stepped out of a room, which they assumed to be his bedroom, completely dressed in his uniform but still in a sleepy stupor. Instead of the usual spikes, his hair stuck out in every direction greatly resembling a bird's nest. At the sight, Billy couldn't help but snicker. Every time he'd laid eyes on the boy wonder, it was always when he'd be pulling off a crime. During those times, Robin was all action, no jokes accepted. To see him in this state was unbelievable and pure gold. "Hey Robin, yer nest needs tendin'," he whispered, earning him a glare from said teen. Luckily Cyborg hadn't heard him and they continued on.

Beast Boy stood outside the bathroom dressed in a brown bathrobe with a green towel slung over his shoulder and a rubber ducky in one hand. Apparently, lack of sleep had affected him as well judging from the scowl on his face and the furious pounding on the door. "Starfire hurry up! If I don't shower at exactly 7:00, it messes up my morning schedule and cuts into my video game time!" he yelled.

"Just a few more minutes please!" a female voice called from inside, probably Starfire. "I have recently acquired a new set of the fragrant spray called perfume from the mall of shopping and am unsure of which to use. The kind lady of the sales said each one is customary for a separate occasion." At that moment, the door slid open and Starfire stepped out carrying four different bottles each a different color. "Tell me Beast Boy, which would provide the most soothing scent for a day such as this one? The Lively Lavender, Passion Peach, Ravishing Rosebud, or Scrumptious Sweet Pea?" she asked with a wide, innocent grin.

"Uh, Star?" Beast Boy responded with a cross-eyed look.

"Pfft, I'd like to git ta know the fella who came up with them names," Billy whispered to Kyd Wykkyd while elbowing him in the side. All he got was a deadpanned look from the drowsy alien.

"Oh, good morning former H.I.V.E. students who are no longer evil. A glorious day to you all!" Starfire greeted happily, waving to them after noticing the group.

"Good morn-," Angel started.

"I don't remember giving anyone permission to speak!" Cyborg interrupted with his back still turned to them. Picking up on the hint, the group sighed softly to themselves and moved on quietly. But just before she left, Angel managed to whisper "Can't go wrong with the lavender!"

After a few more minutes of walking, though it felt like a millennium to the teens who felt dead on their feet, at last they arrived at the final checkpoint…and nearly cried when they saw what it was.

"What, what is it? Where are we?" See-More asked.

"The gym," Mammoth answered the loathing evident in his tone of voice. While normally such a place wouldn't receive such a negative response from the super powered students, at the moment they were tired, hungry, and just wanted to die. And surprisingly, the place wasn't exactly what they expected. The gym had to be ten times smaller than the H.I.V.E. academy gym. Sure the place normally housed only five people compared to a whole class, but for an entire tour, it left them feeling unimpressed. Not to mention how embarrassing it was that they would constantly lose to a bunch of heroes who worked out in a place like this.

"Now then," Cyborg said, turning back to them, "we'll start with the easy stuff: stretches. After that, we can move into the gym and get started on the _real _workouts."

"Now hang on Bubba. Ain't this the gym?"

"Don't make me laugh. This is only the first section. You'll be moving into the main section once we're finished. Now all of you, DOWN ON THE FLOOR!" He yelled in that low, booming voice that left the ground shaking underneath them. Or maybe it them themselves who were shaking, but either way all of them complied quickly without any hesitation. One by one, they sat on the ground with their legs out front, thankful to no longer be standing. Stretches went smoothly at first, everyone following Cyborg's orders as he walked through each technique. They were all fairly used to stretching from their time in school, and for the most part they were all pretty flexible. That is, until Cyborg began to crack down.

"Now then, on the count of three, let your legs slide out sideways from underneath you so you're doing the splits!" He commanded. "After that, try to get your left leg over your head!"

* * *

"Rise and shine," Jinx whispered softly to the slumbering boy next to her. When she received no response, she reached an arm out to shake his shoulder. After this failed, she tugged back the covers, leaving him exposed and cold. That got a response from him.

"Mm, who turned down the heat?" Kid Flash mumbled softly as his eyelids fluttered open.

"You're going to feel a lot more than that if you don't get up. It's already 8:00 and you're not even dressed. The Titans woke up about an hour ago!"

"Way too early if you ask me," he muttered before curling up into a ball to retain whatever heat he could.

Jinx's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Do I have to make your pillow explode again? Because I swear I'll do it if you don't get out of bed soon."

At that, he was sitting up and stretching his arms awake, yawning loudly. Kid Flash knew fully well she'd do it, he'd seen it happen before. "Ok, ok, I'm up. Good morning Jinxy!" he greeted her cheerfully with one of his trademark (totally handsome in his opinion) smiles. "So, why're _you_ up so early? Normally I'm the one who has to wake you in the morning!" He asked. It was only then that he realized how…incomplete Jinx looked this morning. Her dress wasn't completely buttoned up in the front, just barely above her chest (to his pleasure!), one of her shoes was missing and only half her hair was up. It was almost comical considering how put together she normally was.

"Cyborg starts training the rest of the H.I.V.E. students today, remember? I have to make sure I'm there to watch just in case anything goes wrong." Jinx said, pulling on her shoe with one hand while attempting to tie up the rest of her hair with the other.

"Oh, so that's what this is about," he replied before swinging his legs out of bed and making his way over to her. "Need a hand, because I've got two." She nodded. "I wouldn't worry Jinx. Cyborg can handle himself," he explained while tying up her hair.

"It's not Cyborg I'm worried about. It's what Cyborg could do that bothers me. I want to make sure he doesn't do anything too…drastic."

"They'll be fine, just relax! Here, let me get those buttons-,"

"I can do it myself, thank you!" she answered heatedly, both hands covering the front of her chest. "I think you've already gotten a good enough look as is."

Kid Flash deflated slightly, though only temporarily. "Hey, can't blame a guy for staring. You leave me breathless just by looking at you." Gently, he pulled her forward, intending to give her the first kiss of the day. Unfortunately, she wasn't thinking the same thing.

"Speaking of breathless," Jinx started, her handing covering his mouth only inches from hers, "you may want to brush your teeth first Casanova. Your breath reeks!" Pulling away, Jinx gave him a sly smile before she turned on her heel and made her way out of the room, heading to the kitchen for a quick breakfast, leaving Kid Flash alone. He rolled his eyes. _What is it with girls and hygiene?_ he wondered.

Off to the side, a light jingle caught his ear. He turned to see Kyddie staring back at him with those large yellow eyes and a knowing look. He scowled. "What're _you_ looking at?"

* * *

Glancing about, Cyborg's eyes searched the large hall, looked back on his victims (ahem, "students") and then back to the room. Eventually, he led them over to the first part. The weightlifting machine. He grinned. _Perfect. _"Hey Mammoth, get your elephant butt over here!"

Mammoth grumbled under his breath while walking over, or rather dragging his feet over. "What?" he asked.

"Think you can handle this baby?" Cyborg teased, jabbing a thumb towards the machine in question.

Mammoth cracked his knuckles. "Just watch me!" he said eagerly before taking his place underneath it. Without missing a beat, the metal man made his way over to the controls, punched in a few numbers and let a rip. Almost immediately, the machine activated and began to drop weights on the top, slowly at first but quickly speeding up. Mammoth grinned triumphantly as he continued to hold his own. Until he realized that the machine had yet to stop lowering more and more weights. With the added weights already strapped to his arms, the muscled giant began to feel beads of sweat already begin to drip down his back, and it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Only once the machine had dropped the last weight in its reservoir did it finally cease, leaving Mammoth shaking under the strain.

"Now hold that weight for about four hours and then I'll let you have a short break." Cyborg explained with a hint of humor in his voice. Mammoth only growled through his teeth. "Come on man, Starfire could lift that weight all day with one arm," he added with a satisfied grin. Looking back at the rest of the group, Cyborg urged them forward.

"You're up little lady," he said, glancing over at Angel once they'd reached the next station. With a slight tremor, Angel stepped forward. "With all that flying, I doubt your legs get used very often. So it's the treadmill for you!" he said happily before leading her over to the treadmill in the corner of the room and placing her on it. Making his way over to the controls, Cyborg began punching in a few numbers and turning a few knobs, all the while the evil smirk never leaving his face. Angel let out a surrendered sigh. She'd used the treadmill a dozen times in the past and it never scared her before, but then again, in the past she'd had control over the settings and judging from the look on his face, Cyborg was having a little too much fun. _I wonder if it's too late to- _AGH! She cried before finishing the thought as the rubber belt suddenly jolted underneath her at an incredible speed. She found herself already sprinting.

"There. That ought to be good for about 3 hours or so."

"Three hours?" she panted.

"Don't worry, it'll start slow and gradually get faster."

"Faster?!"

"What're you a parrot now? Yes, faster! Beast Boy does this at least three times a week. Now less talking, more running Polly!"

Next up were the pull-up bars. They started off fairly short, starting at about Raven's height, all the way up to 10 feet high, or what it appeared to be. Making his way over to one of the higher ones, Cyborg punched in a few numbers into a touchpad built into it and slowly the bar lowered until it was only five feet off the ground. It was all set and ready to go, and he knew just who to use it on. "Alright, Billy time for 100 pull-ups," he said, motioning to the southerner in question.

Billy laughed with enthusiasm. "Bubba, you gotta be pullin' my leg! Pull-ups are nothin' to ol' Billy here. In case ya misplaced the chip ta yer memry file in yer brain, I was able to haul yer entire bridge outta the ground faster than a six-shootin rifle!" he boasted.

"Well then, let's see watcha got tough guy!" Cyborg answered, stepping back to allow Billy access to the bar. Once he'd taken his place and grabbed hold of the bar, Billy easily pulled himself up and did ten push-ups in seconds without even breaking a sweat. But before he could say another word, he found himself being lifted off the ground, the bar he was holding onto rising higher and higher into the air until his feet dangled from a height of twenty feet tall at least. Below him, Cyborg waved.

"Hey, what gives?" he called from above. And if that wasn't enough, once the question had left his lips, Billy was suddenly struck by a powerful force that tugged at his body. He felt as though someone had grabbed ahold of his neck and was pulling him downwards with the strength of ten bulls. Now Billy had never been the smartest guy in the world, but he knew well enough that even gravity wasn't strong enough to pull him down that hard.

"This'll give you a bit more motivation to keep going," Cyborg explained. "See those glowing lights underneath you? Those are some specially designed magnets I installed, and they're tugging at the collar around your neck. This time when you do a pull-up, you'll have to work past that magnetic force and try not to fall off in the process. I designed these to make pull-ups a bit more fun."

"Bubba, you've got too much time on yer hands," he answered through clenched teeth as he pulled himself up for his first "modified" pull-up.

Cyborg chose not to answer and instead led the remaining two students to their own tests. In the end, See-More was assigned to a balance beam five feet off the ground and was forced to walk across it 50 times while balancing two books on top of his head and two bowls filled with water in his hands. Despite his protests that he still couldn't see a thing, Cyborg only insisted that it would help improve his balance and eliminate his dependency on his helmet. See-More had been pretty reluctant at first, but quickly got to it after Cyborg mentioned that Raven could do it with her eyes closed. Once again, See-More found himself wondering just what had he done in his past life to deserve to be treated like absolutely nothing by just about anyone. Maybe it was the bank robbery, or maybe the jewelry robbery, or maybe crashing the shopping mall, or perhaps the government building vandalism, or…the list went on and on.

As for Kyd Wykkyd, Cyborg assigned him to the peg board on the far side of the gym. Similar to a rock climbing wall, the peg board was lined with holes up to about 80 feet high, where a small bell dangled at the top. Using two sticks, he had to insert them into the holes one at a time and gradually make his way up to ring the bell at the top. After Cyborg's pushing and threatening, Kyd Wykkyd finally took a deep breath and began to make his way up the slippery wall with his legs dangling uselessly beneath him. He slowly made his way up one hole at a time and forced himself to ignore the jeers from the metal man below, stating that Robin could do this in his sleep. For once the alien boy was glad he was mute and that his hands were occupied. Otherwise, he was sure he'd have yelled back some obscure profanity or simply flipped the guy off, something that wouldn't bode well with the positive image the group was trying to convey.

Once they'd all been assigned to some sort of workout, Cyborg took a step back to admire his progress. All of them appeared to be panting for breath, scared out of their minds, completely furious, or all of the above. Either way, it was rather entertaining to watch and he wondered just how much they could take before they finally all quit. It had been his main goal ever since they'd stepped foot in this tower, though he'd never admit it to the other Titans.

Cyborg shook his head. No, they could never be Teen Titans, not ever. From what he'd gathered from the academy, being villains was all they knew, nothing more. No matter how hard they worked, no matter what they said, they'd be sure to revert back to their old ways. For all he knew, they could be plotting their revenge against the Titans at this very moment. Jinx was the only exception as far as he could tell, and that was because Kid Flash had taken a liking to her, and it was hard to deny him. But the others would never make it, not by a long shot. All he had to do was show them.

* * *

**Hello everyone! I've finally been able to get this chapter out. I've been planning to post it for a while, but just never got the chance to finish. School's been tough but I'm hanging in there! Hey XFatalities-of-the-sane-mindsX and Wallart Plus Flinx equals war, hope you're patience hasn't worn out yet! I promise to keep writing whenever I have time, and trust me, this story will finish...eventually.  
**

**Anyway, for anybody who doesn't know about the peg board, it's sorta like the kids toy version except a lot bigger. Trust me, you never want to try those things they are _hard _to climb. You can't use your legs or else your sticks come loose!  
**

**For anyone who enjoys my story, check out **** XFatalities-of-the-sane-mindsX** page, I go there whenever I'm bored and have free time. And don't forget, reviews, remarks, and criticisms are greatly appreciated, just no flames! Bis spaeter!  



	11. Chapter 10: Ultimatum

**Chapter 10: Ultimatum**

Jinx hurried to the gym the minute she'd finished her breakfast. It was only fifteen past eight yet she already had a bad feeling about her former classmates' well-beings. She'd realized from the start that Cyborg wouldn't take kindly to the situation of the enemy sleeping below them and worried about what kind of ordeals they were going through. Along the way, she passed by Raven who already had her nose in a book and gave a slight wave before she nearly bumped into Beast Boy...wearing nothing but a towel. She covered her eyes as he let out a loud-pitched squeal and darted back into his room. Jinx found herself thankful that she hadn't seen anything. Otherwise, she was sure Wally would have a fit.

Passing by the bathroom, she stopped dead in her tracks both hands flying to her nose when a particularly pungent smell hit her at full force. And it just so happened to be when Starfire was walking by.

"Good morning Friend!" she beamed, obviously unaware of the stench.

"Morning Starfire. Um, what is that _smell_?" she asked from behind her hand.

"I have recently acquired a new set of the perfume from the mall of shopping and have applied some this morning. Lovely, is it not?"

"Not, definitely not! Just what did you put on?" she asked, causing Starfire's smile to drop off her face.

"The Lively Lavender," she responded, holding out a purple bottle in an upturned palm. Jinx graciously accepted the bottle and gave a light sniff. Surprisingly, the scent didn't send her recoiling like before.

"Starfire, how much did you put on?"

"Well, I applied two sprays to the neck just as the woman of sales showed me, a spray to the wrist, a spray to the chest, and one for the face just for good measure."

Jinx frowned, putting her face in her hand. "You're supposed to only use one spray, or else the smell becomes way too strong. No offence Starfire, but you reek! I suggest you take another bath if you want to get that stuff off."

"Ooooh," Starfire answered slowly before smiling vibrantly once again. "Thank you, I shall take your advice to the heart!" she responded vibrantly before continuing onward.

"Right," Jinx muttered, although she was sure the other girl hadn't heard her. As she turned back towards her destination, she couldn't help but snicker when she heard Robin's voice.

"Oh, morning Star- GAH, what's that smell?!"

However, she'd yet to see any sign of the metal man currently in charge of her previous team. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. There was only one way to find out. At last, she found herself standing in front of the large, grey retractable door labeled GYM, the only thing separating her from the ones she currently she sought. At the moment, the hallway was silent, no screaming or yelling or groaning, nothing to hint at what might be going on in there. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Jinx took a step forward and just like that, the door opened. And that's when the screaming began. She figured the doors must be sound proof because noise covered every inch of the place. Apparently the pandemonium had already begun. Off to the side, Cyborg stood confidently, looking perfectly relaxed as he observed the scene in front of him. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for all the others. Mammoth was currently holding up what appeared to be a weight machine stacked to the ceiling with weights. Sweat was practically pouring down his face, which had turned red, in streams and every inch of his body shook under the load. Billy was doing pull-ups about twenty feet in the air with not even a safety net underneath him! He grunted as he fought to pull himself up, counting off some number, though his voice was so garbled she could hardly understand what he'd just said. Angel looked about ready to collapse on the treadmill considering how fast it was moving while See-More teetered back and forth, limbs shaking from the number of items he was balancing. Kyd Wykkyd dangled lamely from a wall filled with holes, struggling to catch his breath. Inwardly, Jinx cringed. They'd been at the tower for only a few hours at most and already Cyborg was giving them hell. Letting out a light sigh the sorceress made her way over to the smug instructor, who continued to bask in his authority.

"So, I see you've already put them to work," she said once she'd reached him, crossing her arms.

"Oh, you're up. Heh heh, you bet I am! Nothing like a good morning workout to get the blood flowing," Cyborg responded eagerly.

"Not that I mind a little exercise in the morning, but don't you think you're overdoing it maybe just a little?" she asked, her voice full of sarcasm.

"Are you kidding? This is the easy stuff! We'll get into the harder stuff later on!"

"And exactly how long are they supposed to do this for?"

"A couple of hours."

Jinx huffed. "I don't mean to undermine your authority but maybe you should switch to something different to give them a little bit of a break."

"Hold that thought," Cyborg said before scooping up a tiny pile of dirt that had collected on the floor. Making his way over to Mammoth whose eyes were now squeezed shut from the strain he held up the little pile in an upturned palm, took a deep breath, and blew onto it, releasing the dirt into the air. Almost immediately after, the drenched giant's nose began to twitch uncontrollably. After a couple of light breathes and a loud inhale, Mammoth exploded!

"AH-CHOOOOO!" he practically yelled. The force of the sneeze was so strong, it sent him flying backwards and off his feet barely avoiding the stack of weights that came crashing down due to nothing but air supporting it. He tumbled backwards, almost in a summersault, towards the back of the room and coming to rest when his back collided with the pull-up bar that Billy currently hung from. In fact, the impact was so strong Billy lost his grip and came falling back down to Earth, his collar giving off an intense metallic noise as it stuck to the magnets below. The vibrations were enough to make See-More lose whatever balance he'd had before. The bowls and books went flying as he flailed his arms about in an attempt to stop his imminent fall but to no avail. He crashed to the floor in a heap where he rubbed his head for the third time today considering it was past midnight when they'd arrived at the tower.

Jinx couldn't help but wince at the pain they all must have felt at the moment. She swore she heard Billy mutter something relating to a chicken with its neck broken as he fought to pull his head off the floor with little success. The magnet was too strong. So distracted was she that she didn't notice one of the bowls rolling away off to the side until it was too late. All hearts jumped when a startling scrapping sound reached their ears. The bowl had somehow lodged itself in-between the floor and the spinning belt of the treadmill Angel ran on. The snag brought the machine to a sudden halt, throwing its user forward onto the metal bar in front of her. Angel collapsed to the floor clutching her midsection, eyes squeezed shut in pain. The only Brightside was that the impact caused the metal ring on her wings to snap in two.

But just as things couldn't get any worse, the force of the belt dragged the bowl underneath it, popping it out the other end, sending it flying a dozen feet into the air. The bowl hovered at the top of the arch for a second before smashing into the wall in the opposite direction…the same wall Kyd Wykkyd happened to be climbing. Luckily, he ducked just in time to avoid it hitting him right behind the head but at a cost. The action caused his two sticks to come loose, sending him plummeting back first towards the ground below where he landed with a sickening crack. He lay still on the ground before coughing while gasping as the wind was knocked right out of him.

"Alright then," said Cyborg who stood idly by just watching the scene unfold. He dusted the rest of the dirt off his hands. "Now we can move on to something else," he finished, paying no heed as Jinx stared at him with wide eyes and mouth agape.

"Aren't you going to help them?!" she asked incredulously.

"Naw, walk it off, they'll be fine."

* * *

"Alright recruits, time for the next exercise," the self-proclaimed sergeant announced. At first there was no response. His eye twitched in annoyance. "Can I get a 'YES SIR!'?"

"…yes sir," was the lame response he received. Jinx couldn't help but clasp the bridge of her nose in frustration. Here they were all lined up and in pain and Cyborg was worried about a stupid military response? Mammoth continued to rub his nose in irritation after that huge sneeze but thankfully that seemed to be the worst of his problems. Billy was attempting to massage his neck from the hard crash but the collar around his neck made it difficult. At the same time, Angel continued to keep her arms crossed across her midsection, particularly under her chest where the ring had previously been. Next to her, See-More rubbed the back of his head where he'd bonked it on the floor when he'd fallen from the balance beam prior to now. After so many hits Jinx was sure his head had more bruises than an apple. Then again, he definitely had it better than Kyd Wykkyd who was still struggling to stand up straight. Now his had been a nasty fall. At the moment his back remained hunched over. Apparently Cyborg refused to take any notice of this to Jinx's annoyance.

"Mammoth, get your butt over here!" he called. Mammoth grumbled and sent a glare his way before finally dragging his feet over. Cyborg nodded. "The rest of you pair up!"

"Be my partner Wykkyd?" See-More asked. Kyd Wykkyd tapped his shoulder once in consent. With no other options, Angel and Billy shrugged at each other and paired up as well.

Satisfied, the half-robot continued. "Now then, I want one from each pair to step forward!" Billy and Kyd Wykkyd stepped forward without any complaints. "Alright, for this exercise I've got some good news," he paused for a dramatic effect, "and some bad news.

"The good news is some of you will get a short break and some time to relax." The group didn't even bother to hide their relief. "The bad news is that the rest of you will be in for quite the workout! Now, those of you who just stepped forward, I want you down on the ground on all fours, NOW!" he yelled. Billy and Wykkyd were down in a heartbeat. Cyborg then turned to Mammoth. "That means you too big guy!" At first, Mammoth didn't budge only continued to glare at the metal man. To say that he was tempted to knock his head off was an understatement. Cyborg only returned the glare with just as much vigor. For a few seconds, the two were locked in a staring contest, neither one backing down. "I gave you an order." Cyborg said slowly and sharply through clenched teeth. When he still didn't move, Cyborg inwardly prepped himself for an attack or outburst. Not that he was worried in the least, for either one would only confirm his opinions on the matter of vigilantes becoming "heroes". But to his surprise, neither came. Instead, Mammoth broke eye contact and lowered himself until he too had both hands planted on the ground.

"Good," he whispered to himself. "You two!" he cried, looking over at See-More and Angel. They jumped in surprise at being addressed. "Come over here and stand next to your partners." They complied. "I want you two to climb onto your partners' back with both legs crossed."

"Huh?!"

"Say what?!"

"!"

"Did I stutter or something? You heard me; I want you on their backs this instant!"

Eventually they recovered from the shock of the command and did as they were told though hesitant at first. Angel easily pulled herself onto Billy's back, careful to avoid his neck. See-More attempted to climb onto Wykkyd's back while causing as little discomfort as possible but the in the end his effort was all in vain. As for Mammoth, Cyborg found a bunch of weights and strapped them to his back with chains, leaving him with five teens before him, either exhausted, confused, or both. Mammoth, Billy, and Kyd Wykkyd looked up at Cyborg shakily from the floor awaiting further instruction. He pointed to the far end of the room. "You three are going to carry your cargo to the other end of the room and back until I deem you done for the day. Easy and straightforward. Got it?" All they did was nod pitifully this time. "Good. NOW GET MOVING!"

And so, after one big collected sigh, the teens trudged onwards at a snail's pace. By this time the other titans had arrived to watch the scene as well as gauge progress. Beast Boy was having a hard time holding back his laughter which was not helping in the least. Starfire watched curiously, tilting her head slightly in confusion. "Why are they mimicking the walk of a Tamaranean flarnop?" she asked Robin who stood next to her. Raven didn't appear to be interested at all and instead devoted time to the book she had brought along. Kid Flash watched idly with Jinx, one arm thrown over her shoulder. Jinx herself kept her arms crossed and eyes narrowed, obviously not pleased in the least.

* * *

"Hey Billy?"

"Yup, See-More?"

"How long do you think we've been doing this exercise now?"

"Whelp, 'ccordin' to the sun through them window, I'd say 'bout two an'a half hours."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Gah, hey Angel?" Billy asked through light pants.

"Yeah?"

"Didn't ya tell me that ya once did them fancy-pants dance? Ballet?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Off to the side, See-More easily overheard the conversation and shook his head. He knew what was coming. "Billy I suggest you shut up and don't answer that!"

Of course, Billy ignored him. "Well, aren't ballet dancers 'sposed ta be real lightweight and slim for-,"

"_Excuse me?"_ Angel snapped.

If he hadn't been holding on so tight, See-More would have face-palmed himself. "I warned you, man!"

"Are you trying to say that you think I'm _fat?_"

"Naw, I'm jist sayin' yer awfully heavy fer such a little lady- _oof!_" Billy cried as she sent a sharp kick into his side.

"Say that one more time, I dare you!" she threatened.

"Well, maybe ya could stand ta lose a'couple a pounds off yer ribs, ya know."

"Oh is that so?" Angel replied sarcastically. "Well, let's see what you've got tough guy!" In an instant her wings had enlarged to over ten times their usual size flowing outward from behind the pair. Billy's pace slowed exponentially.

"Suddenly I wish I were tuggin' along that darn bridge instead," he muttered.

"Told ya to keep your mouth shut," See-More reminded him again.

"Yeah, yeah. How's yer horse holdin' up?"

See-More peered down at Kyd Wykkyd who continued slowly without a sound. Though he couldn't really _see_ him without his helmet, See-More could tell from the tension in his muscles and the cold sweat pouring down his back that his partner was in a lot of pain. And it worried him.

"Boy Wykkyd, ya don't look so good," Billy commented, confirming his fears aloud.

It was true. The fall along with other factors had taken its toll on him. Though their teammate had always been pale to begin with, at the moment his normally grey skin was almost white as a sheet. His red eyes that glowed brightest in the dark shadows, his comfort zone, now seemed dull and glazed over from a mixture of pain and lack of sleep. Beads of sweat that had gathered on his brow now poured down his bare face causing his black hair to stick to his skin. His breathing had become quick and dry as he struggled to stay up. But after three steps more, his arms finally gave way and he fell to the floor shaking like a leaf.

"Whoa!" See-More cried out in surprise as his ride caved in. He scrambled to get up. "Hey, you okay Pal?" he asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice. Kyd Wykkyd however didn't make any effort to answer. In an instant, Angel and Billy were at his side as well, concern etched onto their features. Only Mammoth continued on, unable to stand with the weights on his back.

"Hey, who told you to stop?!"

The three jumped as they heard their sergeant call them out.

"Kyd Wykkyd's not doing so well," Angel replied calmly as Cyborg made his way over to where they'd congregated. "I think he needs some rest."

"I think he needs to get his butt off the ground and finish the exercise. The day is barely even halfway through and none of you have even done anything that difficult yet!" Cyborg argued.

Angel glanced upward. "Well, could we possibly turn the lights off? Direct exposure to light weakens him after a while and I think the dark may help a little bit."

Cyborg glared. "We are _not _turning off any of the lights in here! For all I know, you could just be pulling a fast one on us."

"Cyborg, maybe we should just turn them off, it couldn't hurt. Besides, it is a little bright in here," Robin pointed out.

"Are you kidding Robin?! We soften up now, and they'll just keep asking for more leniency. Heck, he could be faking right now," Cyborg hissed in a loud whisper to his leader.

"I don't know Dude, looks real enough to me," Beast Boy stated. The others nodded in agreement.

"No, I'm telling you something is up! I'm not sure what, but I've got a feeling the moment we decide-,"

"JUST TURN THEM OFF IT'S JUST THE STUPID LIGHTS!"

Everyone froze. An outburst like that had certainly been unexpected. Jinx didn't even know that she herself had done it until all eyes were directed at her. Even Raven had looked up from her book to see who'd screamed. Kid Flash had pulled his arm off her shoulder he was so surprised. However, the odd looks along with the angry ones did nothing to dampen her resolve. She had just stuck her neck out on the cutting board and there was no way she was going to pull it back now. Cyborg looked back at her, his eyes narrowing into slits until finally he made his way over to the control panel on the wall and punched in a few buttons. Above their heads, the lights in the room began to dim until they were nothing but a light glow that barely illuminated the place. Looking back over to the former H.I.V.E. students Jinx felt the load on her mind lighten slightly and let out a sigh of relief. Kyd Wykkyd appeared to be breathing better now and after a few seconds more he was sitting up, eyes regaining their lost glow.

"Alright, you've got your wish, now get back to it!" Cyborg commanded.

Without another word, the students did as they were told and continued the strenuous exercise. Once they had, Cyborg looked to Jinx, the displeasure blatant in his stare. Though he hadn't said it aloud, the message he was relaying was painfully obvious. They needed to talk. Now. _Good, I've been waiting for this, _she thought.

"Hey Robin, think you and the others could keep watch for a few minutes?" Cyborg asked.

"Of course," he answered.

"Thanks. Let's go," he nodded to her before making his way towards the door that led outside. After reassuring Kid Flash that everything would be okay, she followed.

Once they'd made their way outside of the room and door slid shut, closing them off from the rest of the group, the second in command of the titans turned towards the pink sorceress, arms crossed expectantly. "Well, care to tell me what that was all about in there?" he asked.

"Gladly! You're being way too hard on them! Not even the titans do any of these workouts you're making them do and you know it!" Jinx argued back.

"What I'm doing is trying to assess how badly they want to join the Teen Titans. We have to consider what they've done in the past and show them that becoming a part of the team is not as easy as it seems," Cyborg reasoned.

"It was easy enough for me."

"That's different. Jinx, you saved Kid Flash from Madame Rouge. You fought alongside us against the Brotherhood of Evil. You defeated one of their greatest opponents, one that none of us were able to defeat, not even Robin our leader. As I've said before, you've proved you're more than worthy of joining the team," he recited. "But these guys, they haven't done a single thing to prove they're worth recruiting. The only reason they came to us was because they were tired of getting their cans kicked time after time. Think about what could happen if we'd just handed them communicators and said 'Congratulations, you're a titan!' They could easily turn around and stab us in the back without a second thought. It's what they do!"

"You don't know that! You don't know _them!_" she stressed.

"They kidnapped you in the middle of the night!"

"How else were they supposed to talk to me?! Ring the doorbell? I'm sure that would have gone well!"

"Jinx, I was at the academy long enough to know that they're bad news!"

Jinx's eyes narrowed. "You just don't want them to join."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. I can tell from the way you speak about them."

Cyborg grabbed his head in frustration. "Jinx, at the academy, I _saw_ their true natures, the way they acted. To them, the world is one big target!"

"I was at the academy way before you ever showed up. They aren't all about crime! You claim that you know enough about them when you don't know a single thing. Like me, they have potential to become heroes too they just need the chance to prove it!"

At this, Cyborg grew silent. Jinx didn't bother to continue, instead took the time to let her words sink in. Meanwhile, the metal man was deep in thought. He could see where Jinx was coming from. While he'd originally thought he had the H.I.V.E. all figured out, what happened back in the gym with Kyd Wykkyd was proof that his knowledge on them was still limited. Weakened by light? Now that was a new one. If that was all it took to slow him down, he wondered what else they were hiding. He'd had no idea that See-More's helmet served as more than just a weapon. And he'd only now seen the extent of the winged girl's- Angel, was it? –power to expand her wings. And just like that, Cyborg found himself wanting to know more. Behind their masks and aliases who were they really?

Taking a deep breath, he looked back at Jinx who stood there waiting for him to respond. Clearing his throat, he said, "Alright then, what do you suppose we do about this?"

"I've got one idea," she said, a look of determination across her features. He nodded to let her know he was listening. "Let me join them in this."

His eyebrows rose as high as they would go. Now that was unexpected. "May I ask why?"

"This way I can get closer to them and maybe learn what their true motives are. And maybe I can get them to trust me and warm up a little to the rest of you," Jinx explained.

What she said made sense, at least in his opinion. She was also probably forcing him to tone down the workout out of loyalty to a friend, but he didn't bother voicing that out loud. Still, it wasn't a bad plan and it was worth a shot. But there were also drawbacks. "You do realize that if you want to gain their trust and get them to open up to you, you'll have to share living conditions. That includes sleeping when and where they sleep, eating what they eat, and going through the same workout routine."

"I understand. I'll show you that there's more to them than crime if it's the last thing I do!"

"And what if it turns out they aren't the hero material you claim they are?"

"I promise that at least one of them is titan material! If not…" she swallowed nervously, "…if none of them become Teen Titans then neither will I. I'll quit the team and never try to join again," Jinx replied with a voice that shouted she really meant it.

"You don't have to-,"

"Yes I do." Her mind was made up.

"…Alright then. You've got five chances," the metal man said, extending his hand towards her. She took it and they shook, closing the deal. "I promise not to tell the others about this."

A simply "thanks" was all she could say. With this new deal in place, things had just gotten more serious. Now not only were here classmates' futures on the line but so was hers. She just hoped she'd made the right decision, and that no matter what happened, hoped that Wally would forgive her in the end.

* * *

**Readers: OMG IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!  
Me: ...me sorry!**

**I know right, a new chapter! Hope it was worth the wait! And don't forget to vote on the poll at the top of the page of my profile! I need feedback!  
**

**I just recently started watching Green Lantern: the animated series. It's pretty good, I recommend giving a it a watch. I love Razer X Aya, they're so cute!  
**

**Also just read Naruto chapter 614. I was bawling my eyes out! NOOOOOO, Kishimoto WHYYYYYY! TT_TT  
**

**Anyway, happy holidays, and don't forget, reviews, comments, and criticisms are greatly appreciated, just no flames! Seriously people, I really appreciate the feedback for all of you who do leave reviews!  
**


	12. Chapter 11: Forgiveness

**Chapter 11: Forgiveness**

Once their grueling workout had finally ended after three more hours, the students had been escorted out of the gym back to the Titans' basement almost immediately without a word from anyone. Just like they had that morning, the students had returned without a fuss though not out of fear this time. In actuality, they were dying to get some time to relax and rest for a while. They'd yet to be fed the entire day, had just worked out for hours since 7:00 in the morning, and hadn't even been given so much as a bathroom break! So, sitting in that damp, dark, cavernous room at the moment felt as good as lying in a five star hotel room. A rest was a rest and at this point they were grateful to even get one.

"Can somebody find me a pail of nails? I feel like choking on something right now!" See-More complained as he lay with his back flat on the ground and his head on one of the smaller wooden boxes.

"Join the club," Billy replied through gritted teeth. _Crack._ "Ow! Not so dang hard Angie!"

"Sorry Billy," she apologized. "It's difficult trying to work around this stupid collar they're making you wear!"

"Yeah, tell me 'bout it!"

After the group had settled down a little bit and taken a breather, Angel had taken it upon herself to be the unofficial "nurse" of the lot. She was hardly an expert in the medical field, the best of her knowledge being what to take when you had a fever. But she was the only one who knew how to tie a bandage straight or provide some sort of relief for pain. It was definitely better than a slap in the face or a boat load of teasing, which was what the boys did half the time when one of them got hurt. So it was decided. At the moment, she was attempting to massage Billy's neck after his long fall from the pull-up bar. He grunted and croaked as her hands squeezed at his tense muscles gently but firmly.

"By the way, don't think I have forgotten what you said about my weight," she reminded him in a dark voice.

"Don't get yer feathers ruffled, ya know I was only teasin'," Billy replied with a brief wave of his hand. He winced as another stab of pain rolled down his spine directly after.

"Right," Angel said before letting go. Laying him back on one of the boxes, she nodded as he let out a content sigh and got to her feet. "Alright, who's next?"

"ME!" See-More called, raising his hand above his head. "My head is killing me!"

"Sure it ain't yer brain?"

See-More glared as Angel made her way over and knelt next to him. "Billy, ya better be thankful I'm not wearing my helmet or else you'd be halfway through the wall right about now!"

Billy only laughed. "I ain't afraid of no empty threats!"

"Why I outta-," See-More started, getting to his feet. But no sooner had the words left his mouth when he smacked his head on another plank sticking out of another box next to him. Billy roared with laughter. Angel shook her own head.

"Honestly, when will you two learn?" she muttered before putting her fingers to See-More's temples and rubbing slightly. He relaxed instantaneously. "We all should be taking it easy for now. If you thought today was bad, imagine what they'll do tomorrow."

"I really don't want to think about tomorrow," See-More responded.

Angel nodded. In all honesty, she didn't want to think about it either. This entire day had taken its toll on them all. To think, it had only been one day and already she felt like they'd been there for a millennium. Their plan had seemed so straightforward and simple in the beginning and yet now it felt almost impossible to survive. Glancing over at Mammoth and Kyd Wykkyd who sat off to the side, she was almost certain they felt the same way. Mammoth leaned against the wall with both his arms spread out, still chained down by the weights attached to them. Judging from the snarl on his face he still hadn't gotten over being bossed around by his most hated enemy all day.

Kyd Wykkyd lay further away from the group on his stomach with his chin rested on his hands, still wincing from the pain in his back. Despite the large distance between them, Angel couldn't help but frown when she saw him. They still had yet to "officially" make up and the cold shoulders they'd been giving one another only made her feel hollow inside. Secretly, she missed having him there to talk to as well as the comfort he'd give whenever she was down. He'd been her closest friend after all and avoiding the issue made her chest constrict whenever she looked at him. Yes, it was high time that they finally settled their little squabble, she decided then. Once she'd finished with See-More, Angel took a deep breath and made her way over to her friend.

"Hey," she said awkwardly to him, her eyes glued to the floor. He glanced at her before turning away. She bit her lip. This wasn't going to be easy for either of them. "So, uh, if you want, I could massage your back for you, it might make you feel a little better," she offered.

Kyd Wykkyd didn't respond, instead only stared forward into space. Relieved that he hadn't outright rebuffed her, Angel cautiously took her place next to him and put her hands on his shoulders. When he still didn't push her away, she began to add pressure though carefully so as not to hurt him. His hands clenched slightly but other than that he hadn't reacted at all to her presence, leaving her unsure if this was a good sign or a bad one. Steeling her resolve, she continued. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened earlier. After the school was destroyed, I mean."

Still no response. Angel's shoulders slumped in resignation as she moved to his lower back. The "silent" treatment was so stifling, she would have rather he'd strangled her instead. At least that way she'd know how he felt about her. Now she was just at a loss. Should she elaborate more on the subject or follow his lead and stay quiet? Or should she just give up and accept that they were a lost cause? She turned over each option in her head at least a dozen times and still couldn't make up her mind. Just as she was about to make a decision, however, after a few minutes more of pure silence, her patience finally paid off.

'_Why did you leave?' _Kyd Wykkyd signed over his shoulder.

Angel let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I told you, the Brotherhood of Evil-,"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kyd Wykkyd flipped over onto his back to face her, eyes narrowed threateningly. _'That's bull and you know it!' _he signed, leaving a part of her wondering how he could make sign language seem so intimidating. _'I saw you leave in the middle of the night when you thought I was sleeping. Where were you_ really_ going, and why did you have to abandon me?'_

"I… I…" she attempted to say but found herself at a loss for words. He continued to stare at her expectantly, arms crossed over his chest. She gulped. "I was…looking for Wrestling Star."

His eyes widened immediately at her response. She quickly continued before he could interrupt. "I got a signal from his communicator and decided to investigate. But when I got to his location, all I found was his broken communicator and…," she paused, "and a bunch of the Brotherhood robots waiting for me. There were too many of them, and they captured me easily. Turns out, Wrestling Star had already been captured and they were using his communicator to lure out other H.I.V.E. students. Guess their plan worked," she replied sadly. "As for not bringing you with me…well, I know you two never really got along."

Kyd Wykkyd only nodded before turning back over onto his stomach and placing his chin on his hands once more. His face revealed nothing. "So that's what happened. I didn't tell you earlier because I was afraid you might hate me. But now I see that I was stupid for not telling you. So, I'm sorry."

When he didn't move or show any sign of forgiveness or anger whatsoever, Angel swore she could feel her heart shatter into pieces. He knew perfectly well that she disliked it when he ignored her like this. Doing it right now felt like pure torture and she couldn't help but feel like he was doing this on purpose to see how bad it hurt. Did he really hate her that much? She hoped to God that this wasn't the case no matter how probable it seemed.

* * *

Despite his composed state and neutral facial features, deep down Kyd Wykkyd was in turmoil. It took all of his control not to show it out of fear of giving off the wrong impression. To say he was conflicted was an understatement. Deep inside, two of his emotions were at war with each other: anger and understanding. While he was still upset that she'd just up and left after all they'd been through he could understand where she was coming from. Back in the academy, Wrestling Star _had_ been one of her friends. They sat next to each other in class and he'd even joined their table during lunch. If there was a chance that a friend was in need, Angel would go looking for them, it was in her nature. And she was right; the two boys hadn't really seen eye to eye back then.

Of course, in his opinion he'd been completely justified in his dislike for the masked wrestler. They were too different. While Kyd Wykkyd had always been quiet, Wrestling Star had this booming voice that could be heard across the room. Kyd Wykkyd was best at following orders, while Wrestling Star loved throwing his weight around, literally and metaphorically. Wykkyd preferred speed and stealth; Wrestling Star was all about brute force and full frontal assaults. But the main reason for his dislike boiled down to an even simpler matter than that. Though they'd never really admitted it outright, the two had been rivals for Angel's affections from day one. And the fact that the wrestler refused to keep his feelings a secret only made things worse! He'd asked her out more times than Kyd Wykkyd could count on both hands! And despite the constant rejections he received, he could never seem to take no as an answer. Wrestling Star had taken any chance he could to get close to her, usually at Wykkyd's expense earning him full garnered annoyance and hatred from the teleporter. And the fact that she'd left _his_ side to go look for that _jerk_ added fuel to his already burning anger.

No matter how many ways he attempted to reason with himself, neither emotion was backing down. This only left him feeling even tenser than before.

"So that's what happened. I didn't tell you earlier because I was afraid you might hate me. But now I see that I was stupid for not telling you. So, I'm sorry," she said.

Her apology only added another emotion to his inner warfare: guilt. Was he really being too hard on her? After all, she'd only left to go after a friend. It's not like she left him for good. Well, that's what appeared to happen at the time, but then again, it hadn't been her fault, at least not completely. These thoughts continued to fly through his head like imaginary bugs that refused to sit still. He was almost tempted to swat at them.

"Elliot?" she asked in a light whisper.

At the sound of his name, his _real_ name, he stilled his thoughts for a moment and turned onto his back once more to face her. Only then did he fully grasp how close the two of them really were. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts, he failed to notice when she'd bent over his body to whisper into his ear. When he'd turned towards her, Kyd Wykkyd found her face less than an inch away from his. His breath hitched in his throat. He'd never gotten this close to her, not even when he'd teleported them out of the academy ruins. From this angle, he could make out every little detail on her face, from her clear gold eyes, wide in surprise, to her short blond hair that lay softly around her forehead, to her small straight nose in the center of her face. And her lips…oh great Goddess, her lips were so red and plump, and so close to his own. If he only leaned in a little more they might just…

The effect was ruined when she swiftly pulled herself back, her hand flying to her chest. "S-sorry, sorry!" she stammered as tinges of red began to blossom on her cheeks. "I didn't…that is, I wasn't expecting you to… I'm sorry!" she said yet again.

This time he only nodded slowly. Then lifting his hands, taking care that they weren't shaking, he signed, _'I forgive you,'_ back to her.

"I didn't think you'd turn around," she muttered before turning away, her face flush with embarrassment. However, her attention returned to him once she felt his hand take hold of her wrist.

'_Yes, well, what I'm saying is,' _he hesitated for a moment, _'I forgive you for leaving. I guess I can understand why you did it,' _he admitted, though reluctantly.

"Really?!" Angel asked excitedly as though it was all too good to be true.

'_Yes.'_

To this, her eyes filled with unshed tears and he caught himself fighting gravity when she suddenly threw her arms around him in a tight hug that left him momentarily stunned. "Thank you," he heard her cry into his shoulder.

And despite the pain that flared up in his back and the part of him that was still in a rage, he found himself returning the hug graciously. If this was what he'd get from her, he would accept it without complaints, and in truth, he had missed her a bit no matter how hard he tried to deny it. For a brief period of time, he allowed himself to let his guard down and simply hold her, this girl that had held his heart in her hands for years but had yet to realize it. It was pure bliss…that is, until he noticed Mammoth jeering at him from behind her back and Billy making puckering motions with his mouth. Making sure her back was still turned in their direction, Kyd Wykkyd removed his right hand from her waist to flip them off.

* * *

"Cyborg, what is that exactly?" Robin asked as he made his way down the long hallway alongside his teammate. The half-robot currently carried a large silver pot in his hands. Robin himself carried five large bowls in his arms and a ladle and couple of spoons in the other.

Cyborg smirked. "Just trust me on this OK?"

From behind his mask, Robin's eyes narrowed suspiciously. His friend had that dangerous look on his face, one that he usually wore whenever he was about to blast an enemy's head into oblivion or when he was about to pull a prank of some sort. Though the flat pot cover kept its contents a secret from all eyes, the Titans leader knew whatever it was, it couldn't be good. And was it just him or did that pot just gurgle?

His train of thought was cut short however when they made their way down a path of stairs and stopped at the entrance of the basement. Punching in the code with one hand, Cyborg balanced the pot steadily on his knee with the other. Whatever was inside made a loud _blorp_ sound followed by another gurgle. Robin frowned. Nope, definitely didn't sound good.

Once the door was opened the two walked carefully down the basement steps where the five occupants awaited them. They'd since ceased whatever activities they'd been up to stop and stare at the Titans expectantly. Cyborg placed the large pot on the ground in front of them before looking back at the students.

"Good to see I've already got your attention. After watching your performances today, I decided to try something a bit differently. I've been thinking about this for a little bit, and I figured it would be best for you all to experience it a little earlier than most. This will _truly_ prove just how determined you really are to become a Teen Titan," Cyborg announced. "This test will be the hardest thing you will ever face while here, maybe the hardest challenge in your entire lives!" He reveled in the sight of watching the blood drain from their faces.

When he didn't continue, Billy gulped. He knew he didn't want to, but someone had to ask. "And wha' in tarnation's could that be?"

"Your _initiation_," Cyborg started, putting a hand on the cover of the pot, "is to eat a full bowl of Starfire's cooking!" He lifted the lid to reveal a green, purple, and pink batch of what appeared to be some sort of fuzzy slime that bubbled heavily with loud splats and burp-like noises. It slurped and stuck at the edges of the pot, leaving behind an inky stain that resembled the trail that a slug left behind. Stealing a glance at the boy wonder, the students were horrified to see that even he wouldn't go near the repulsive concoction. Cyborg didn't seem to notice, only accepted the bowls and ladle and began dishing out the strange whatever it was. Billy had to cover his mouth to keep from puking on the spot.

It took at least fifteen minutes to spoon and serve the dish since the ladle kept getting stuck to the pot every time it was dipped into it, but eventually all five bowls had been filled and set in front of each student, all shuddering with dread. Sitting back, the metal man crossed his arms in triumph. Being able to watch this was almost worth having to eat that unicycle! "Well, go on!"

See-More took a big sniff and then covered his nose. "I can't see it but whatever it is, it smells awful."

"I think it's better if you didn't see this one," Angel muttered. She pushed her spoon at the sludge uneasily, gasping when the utensil somehow got sucked in.

"None of you are continuing on until all of this stuff is gone!" Cyborg warned.

"Blah!" Billy gagged, making a fake puking sound. "Smells worse than ma granpappy's feet after he's been stompin' round the pig pen," he complained. "Here Wykkyd, you eat it!" he said shoving his bowl in his direction. Kyd Wykkyd shook his head furiously at the offer. "Come on, _yer_ the one from outer space maybe it ain't gonna be as deadly to ya as it might be to the rest of us!" All he got was another vehement refusal. "Just think of it as a dish back home that yer mama used ta make," Billy suggested enthusiastically.

'_My mother's cooking was never furry, slimy, or green! And it certainly didn't move on its own!' _Kyd Wykkyd signed.

"We're waiting!" Cyborg said.

"Uh Cyborg, don't you think this going overboard?" Robin asked.

Mammoth stared down at the bowl in his hands, swirling the slop around. He shrugged to himself, lifted the bowl high in the air, and tipped the bowl over, pouring the contents into his open mouth, swallowing it in one gulp. The others only stared back at him with faces of pure shock and horror, the two Titans included. He clicked his tongue a few times inspecting the taste that lingered in his mouth. After a few seconds of silence he finally declared, "It could use more salt."

At the sound of his voice, the rest of the students shoved their own bowls at him eagerly. Mammoth downed them all just as eagerly. Sure they hadn't eaten all day after a long workout, and of course they were all starving. But after observing their meal for the day, it was enough for them to lose their appetites.

"Hey, hold on a second!" Cyborg objected to the situation. But it was too late; every last drop of the mix had already been devoured by the H.I.V.E. giant.

"Well you did say they couldn't move on until it was all gone," Robin pointed out.

"Yeah, but I didn't mean for—,"

However, before the last words could leave his mouth, he was suddenly interrupted by another gurgling sound. All eyes looked at Mammoth. His face had turned green and sweat began to pour down his face. Covering his mouth with both hands, he made a mad dash for the silver pot before puking his brains into it. Once again, all eyes were filled with horror at the sight.

"Well butter ma backside an' call me a biscuit. Not even Mammoth can stomach it!" Billy chuckled.

After his innards had been completely emptied, the giant pulled his head out of the pot and swayed slightly. Shaking his head to gain some clarity, he marched over to Cyborg and got right in his face, his mouth twisted into an angry snarl. "I can take any kind of workout, any exercise you give me. I'll put up with your cocky attitude and your ugly face! But once you start serving food like that, that's where I draw the line! I quit!" he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth.

Cyborg didn't even blink. Instead, he uncrossed his arms and jabbed a thumb towards the door. "Exit's that way."

Not even bothering to ask about the weights on his arms, Mammoth shoved passed the half-robot, sent a glare over at Robin, and stomped up the stairs. At the top, he continued to trudge through the hallways passing some of the other Titans along the way. Just as he was passing an opening door, so caught up was he in his hate he hardly noticed the person coming up until he'd bumped right into them. Jinx barely kept herself from falling over from the force of the impact by placing her palm against the wall. Once she was stable, she looked up at him in surprise. "Mammoth?"

He didn't speak, only glared down at her. He'd never really noticed just how small she really was until now. _Like a bug, _he thought.

"Uh, sandwich?" she asked, lifting up the eatery tray she'd been carrying.

"Tch," was the only sound he made in response before he pushed passed her uncaring. He was just about to disappear down the hallway until he stopped mid-stride, and after a second thought, returned and grabbed three sandwiches off of the tray, stuffing them into his mouth all at once. Then, he turned on his heel and made his way back towards the exit. After he gone through the doors closed behind him with a light hiss, leaving Jinx just standing there staring at the doors, watching as silence consumed the room once more.

And just like that, the number of H.I.V.E. students and possible "heroes" remaining had dropped to four.

* * *

**Yay, new chapter, woo-hoo! Hope you guys all had a _fan_-tastic holiday, I know I did! Anyway, did you enjoy this chapter? Hope you guys don't mind but I rushed a little bit in the end. Just let me know what you think!**

**I'm really excited since GL:TAS will be showing again after months of hiatus! Finally! I can't wait to see the new season, it looks like a lot is gonna be happening. I repeat, YAY!  
**

**So, reviews, comments, and criticisms are greatly appreciated, just no flames!  
**


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